Nothing But the Truth
by MizukiYukiko
Summary: Her arms locked around his shoulders before he could even register what she was doing. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she whispered, "I'm so sorry that this happened to you." Itachi's eyes widened in shock; no one, not one person ever, had apologized to him. No one had ever viewed this as something that had happened to him. ItachiXSakura. 50shinobi theme #4. Innerdemons
1. Touch of Fire

Story: Nothing but the Truth

Author: MizukiYukiko

Rated: T

Pairing: ItachiXSakura

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Naruto.

Summary: Her arms locked around his shoulders before he could even register what she was doing. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she whispered, "I'm so sorry that this happened to you." Itachi's eyes widened in shock; no one, not one person ever, had apologized to him. No one had ever viewed this as something that had happened to him.

Notes: 50_shinobi themed challenge #4. Inner demons.

Okay, so when I first started this story, I had not been following the anime or manga. Now that I've finally caught up, I've realized my timeline is grievously off. So you'll have to be patient with my cannon. It really doesn't bother me all that much since I've always felt that the story was a little heartbreaking for a bunch of fifteen and sixteen year olds to go through anyway. In this fic, which is pre- Invasion of Pein, Sakura and those in the original nine genin are 18, Team Gai is 19, and Itachi is 23.

I've taken unapologetic liberties with the cannon. I'm also revising the story. Chapters 1-5 are being almost completely redone, as this chapter is now edited. I will also be adding/changing some things in the rest of the chapters.

Revised 6/29/13

Please read and review, and I hope you find the added detail to your liking!

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**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 1**

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"_At the moment when her eyes closed, when all feeling vanished in her, she thought that she felt a touch of fire imprinted on her lips, a kiss more burning than the red-hot iron of the executioner."_

_Victor Hugo, __The Hunchback of Notre-Dame_

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It was dark. It was cold. She shivered. It was with this movement that she felt the irritation of the chains around her wrists. _I'm hanging_. Her mind told her, as did the pain in her arms. This was replaced with a splitting pain in her face and her head. She had gotten hit, hard. Where was she? Her mind was a jumble of fragmented memories, thoughts, and feelings. As one emotion or memory came to her, it would be gone in an instant and she found herself questioning if it had truly been there in the first place. She didn't know. Her memories of the past few days, weeks, whatever were gone.

She groaned at the discomfort in her head and her arms. She didn't think they had much blood going to them. There were bits and pieces coming back to her. A battle? Yes, there had been a battle. Black cloaks with red clouds flashed through her mind. Akatsuki. The details were fuzzy, but she was certain that's who had taken her. _Oh this is just fantastic, _she thought bitterly to herself. Inner-Sakura's voice rang throughout her ears knowingly, calling her a weakling for ever getting captured in the first place. Then again, she remembered the last time she had been taken by enemy-nin, and Inner-Sakura had said the same thing to her. It was almost as if Sasuke was in her head, constantly calling her weak and annoying. Wincing at the memories of her long-forgotten teammate, she pushed them back, ignoring them.

Right now, she had to focus on the situation at hand. She had been captured by the Akatsuki. What wasn't clear was why. The Akatsuki weren't usually the take prisoner types. Killing an enemy was usually much more effective for their purposes. However, they did take prisoners when they had something to gain from such a situation – such as capturing the jinchuriki to extract the bijuu. Her mind raced, trying to decide why they had captured her. If they were in a battle, it was most likely to lure Naruto to them. She was the kyuubi's best friend and teammate, after all. There was also the slightest chance that they wanted her for her abilities as a medic. She had been abducted for the very same reason on a previous occasion.

Her eyes were adjusted completely to the darkness now. She was hanging in the middle of a dark, cold room. Four concrete walls surrounded her, and she believed herself to be in a jail cell of some sorts. The door that was directly in front of her allowed the smallest sliver of light to peak through the bottom of it – like a ray of hope that would only be crushed when shadowed men crossed it, red and black robes falling across their traitorous shoulders. How long had she been here?

She hung there for what felt like hours. She had no chakra and could do nothing to heal whatever wounds she had. She didn't even know what her injuries were because she couldn't effectively spread chakra to analyze her body. She raised her head to look at the binds and shifted a little. They were sucking her chakra away as her body began to generate it. She was talented, yes, but she didn't have too many strategies for escaping that didn't require a weapon or her chakra.

So, for the moment, all she could do was wait. Several more hours passed before she heard anything else. She was beginning to wonder if they had forgotten about her when she heard the clanging of metal doors from somewhere far off. _We are in a prison of some sort_. She noted, confirming her earlier suspicions.

There was the loud opening and closing of more doors beyond her own, and she was sure it was just her captors announcing their presence. No shinobi wouldn't wake up to the obnoxious sounds coming from the corridor beyond. Several more metal doors later, hers opened. The light to her eyes was like needles; she shut them automatically. As she adjusted to the light, she could tell that there were two figures standing in her room; one was large and burly while the other was shorter and more slim.

"Haruno Sakura," said one of the men. She knew who it was immediately. The voice was just so _Uchiha – _dark, baritone, sensual. It slipped off of his lips in a gentle caress that she knew to be deadly. She clamped her eyes shut instinctually, having one battled with the elder of the Uchiha brothers. The memories of his capturing Naruto in a genjutsu with only his finger played vividly in her mind. Additionally, he had put both Sasuke and Kakashi into a coma by using the Tsukuyomi, and she had no intentions of undergoing the same thing here.

"Uchiha Itachi," she hissed. _Scumbag._

"Do you know why you're here?" asked the other voice which she also recognized. Hoshigaki Kisame – the fish – was a missing-nin from Mist if she remembered correctly. She had never fought him personally, but Neji had mentioned that he was an incredibly strong opponent. Well this was just fantastic. She had been captured by two of the scariest ninja on the entire planet. How the hell was she going to get out of this one, exactly?

She was silent in response for several seconds. Then the Uchiha was right in front of her in a flash so fast that she almost opened her eyes. Her hearing and sense of smell wasn't as good as Kiba's, but she was sure she would have felt him coming if he had gone any slower. However, he had moved so fast that the only way she could tell he moved was from the source of warmth that had settled in front of her. The heat radiated off of him and onto her due to how close he was, and it wasn't unwelcome because she was _cold_. The stupid cell was practically a dripping ice box and her ripped up jounin outfit was cold and wet.

"Haruno," he continued, his voice dripping with warning that sent shivers up and down her spine. Apparently, they wanted their question answered.

"No. I didn't know the Akatsuki were in the habit of taking prisoners," she muttered coldly. Although her instincts were telling her to cooperate, he inner self and her stubbornness were getting the best of her. She would not help the man who destroyed Sasuke so willingly. Now, she was faced with the possibility that she would have to be the one to kill Sasuke – as per what the Konoha 11 agreed upon, and it was all this bastard's fault.

"We're not, kunoichi, consider yourself _un_lucky," grunted Kisame from somewhere behind Itachi. His deep voice sent a shiver of fear catapulting down Sakura's spine. A hidden threat lay dormant from that sentence – the threat that could possibly mean the end of her short eighteen years of life.

"Open your eyes and look at me, kunoichi," commanded the man directly in front of her. His voice was deep and smooth, like warm chocolate. _Dark chocolate_. She thought to herself – bitter and without an ounce of sweetness.

"No. Thanks for _asking_," she spat back, her quick temper and obstinacy getting the best of her fear and feelings of self-preservation.

"She's feisty," commented Kisame, a laugh hidden beneath the surface of his scratchy voice..

Itachi walked away from her and circled her slowly, like a vulture. "We are interested in asking you a few things," the Uchiha said methodically, "About your good friend, the kyuubi."

Sakura laughed a hallow laugh. "You should just kill me, then. I'm not saying anything. I don't care how many days I spend in your Tsukuyomi."

"I could always just probe your mind, kunoichi. There's no reason to get violent here." Sakura noticed the mocking in his voice, and it made her cold blood boil with rage. She hid it well, though.

"Try." Her voice was defiant.

"Hm?" His voice was even and calm, but she could hear the curiosity in it. She was challenging him. When he was challenged by something or someone… well Uchiha Itachi always overcame these obstacles.

"Try. You won't find much there except a big mental barrier," she explained, trying to keep her breath even.

"Just like in the copy-nin, Itachi-san," Kisame noted. Sakura stiffened. They had Kakashi-sensei? How had they managed to capture him as well? Apparently his mental barrier that she had installed had worked, though. The fish didn't seem pleased by it, anyway.

"Ah, you must not have known that your sensei would come with you when we took you," Itachi mused. "But you see we couldn't get around his mental defenses, either. I noticed that my Tsukuyomi didn't even have the same…gratifying effect on him as it has in the past."

Sakura stiffened at Itachi's sudden presence since he was now back in front of her and very close. She laughed a little more, hiding her fear of Kakashi, "Sounds like you're losing your touch. Tell me, Akatsuki, how are your eyes feeling? Still going blind?"

That took it too far. Itachi's hand was at her throat, and he was tightening his grip. Sakura gasped for air, her throat closing over the pressure he exerted from his long, strong fingers. Tears sprang to her eyes, and when no air was getting to her lungs, her stomach lurched in fear. She didn't show it, though. She just opened up her eyes to stare at the Uchiha. If he was going to kill her, she was going to watch him do it.

His eyes were blood red, his Mangekyō Sharingan shining brightly in the dark room, and for a moment Sakura felt her breath leave her for a completely different reason. There, standing in front of her, was Sasuke's twin. Their similarities were breathtaking and the tears that were coming out of her eyes now were there for a completely different reason. However, Sakura had just opened her eyes and exposed them to Itachi. This was a mistake, judging by the wicked smirk on his lips. Just like that, she was gone. The last thing he said was, "Tsukuyomi."

Everything was red. Sakura looked up. She was still hanging, but now she was strapped to a post within the Tsukuyomi. She glared at the blackened Uchiha who stood in front of her. Then, there were several of him, and all of them had a sword. _Dammit_. She thought.

He wouldn't hear her scream, though. She was certain of that. As the many Itachi's began to stab her through her legs, arms, torso, and head, Sakura never screamed. She just stared outwardly, her eyes merely flinching and clenching at the pain. Each stab wound was hot, as if his sword had been coated in fire each time he thrust it into her body. But she remained tight lipped. This man would _not_ get the best of her.

Itachi was finding himself frustrated with the kunoichi. He had known that the girl underwent training under Tsunade, but her strength surprised him. He had supposed she was just another weak Konoha kunoichi. Her resolution _almost_ peaked his interest. The fact that he even noted her strength should be a compliment to the kunoichi, not that he'd ever tell her.

After another round of stabbing, Sakura looked up at him with an amused smile. If it were possibly for the inscrutable Uchiha to be shocked, he would have been. His eyes

"What's so funny, kunoichi?" he asked impassively. The woman was beginning to get under his usually unflappable skin.

"You're in my mind, are you not?" she murmured to him through clenched teeth. Blood seeped out of her mouth with each word, each movement, and he could tell the strain that she was undergoing to stay conscious.

"Yes," he replied evenly. Wasn't that obvious?

"Meet inner Sakura," she chuckled. Itachi felt confused but his question was soon answered by the black ground shaking. A surge of chakra hit him as a crack formed in the ground. He felt himself being vaulted out of the girl's mind. _Where'd she get this chakra? _He questioned to himself. Sakura's face was strained as her lips opened. "Kai!"

Itachi was back in the cell and he was looking at the unconscious kunoichi. He whipped around to Kisame, whose face was riddled with surprise. "Where'd she get that chakra?" Kisame asked the question that had been floating in his mind.

"Her mental block can hold chakra behind it," Itachi growled. Yes, this kunoichi was a little more of a handful than he thought. "Her chakra control is notable. It's like there's two different people in there – almost like the kyuubi. It'll be easier next time, now that I know that it's there."

Itachi turned to leave; his eyes were aching with that minor use, his vision blurring considerably with the use of his Mangekyo, "Put her in the room with Hatake."

Kisame grunted in response as he unchained the kunoichi and hauled her off as if she were a bag of feathers.

X

"Sakura." Her head hurt worse. She could barely hear her name being called somewhere unknown to her. Everything was dark, a pitch black emptiness that surrounded her completely. Air escaped her, thoughts escaped her – everything was dark and that's the way she wanted it for now. If it wasn't dark, that meant it was red, and she didn't want to be back in that place with that man.

"Sakura!" The voice was closer this time. She began to regain feeling within her body. _Thump, thump, thump. _That was her head pulsating harshly on her skull if she was placing the pain correctly.

She was still cold, she noted, just like before. But she wasn't hanging now; at least she didn't think she was. She was able to twitch her fingers – that was a good sign. Her other body parts began to move in succession, testing to make sure they were still functioning properly of their own accord. First, she raised an arm a hair, just to tell her that it could move. Then she jerked a knee. Finally, she allowed her eyelids to open warily, but they still felt like concrete, fighting against consciousness.

"Sakura!" The relief in Kakashi's voice and face was unmistakable. They were in a cell, still, but this one had some light coming from a barred window. It wasn't dripping wet like the other, either, so it wasn't damp like the holding cell she had been previously hanging in. Sakura sat up slowly to face her sensei, and he helped her to sit straight by placing a reassuring hand between her shoulders and lifting her so she was propped against the gray walls. She was on one of two beds in the 6 by 8 foot room. It was merely concrete attached to a wall, but it was markedly better than her previous surroundings, she decided. The Akatsuki had been _kind_ enough to give them each a sleeping roll and a blanket to sleep with. That was all there was, though. _Facilities must be somewhere else_. She remarked bitterly to herself.

"Are you okay? What'd they find out, tell me now," Kakashi's voice was worried. He could see Sakura already slipping back into unconsciousness as she fought the lingering effects of the Tsukuyomi.

"Nothing, sensei…" Sakura said cautiously. "Mental block worked."

She was already gradually lying back down while Kakashi supported her once again. Kakashi said soothingly to her, "Go back to bed, okay? Rest up."

Her eyes closed and it was only a few seconds before sleep took her again.

X

_She had been with Naruto, Kakashi, and Rock Lee. It was technically a S-class mission, but Sakura and Naruto were on it even though they weren't ANBU yet. But they had to be there to find the information they were looking for. They were trying to track down information about Sasuke. There was a rumor he was in a small country just south of Tea Country. Naruto and Lee had been their usual jubilant selves, so Sakura and Kakashi had stayed back from them to get some peace. _

_They were nearing the border between Fire Country and Tea Country to the south when the Akatsuki attempted to attack. Kakashi and Sakura took the lead in order to keep Naruto out of the fight so they Akatsuki wouldn't obtain the kyuubi. They couldn't. _

_He had gotten away, she knew, before she was struck down by a large explosion. Her face whipped around to find the source, which was the explosion-nin, Deidara, of course. Sakura knew the Iwa defector still held a grudge against her for killing Sasori all those years ago. When the fight began, she originally took on Kisame. She was taken out of the fight by Lee, though. Since he had no chakra and featured exceptional taijutsu skills, he would have been best for this fight anyway. _

_Then she turned her attention to Deidara who had set up a minefield of explosive birds around her. She had to use her chakra to create a barrier around herself. Kakashi, she noticed, had chosen to take on the Uchiha. He tried to fight with him close combat because they knew the Uchiha tried to avoid direct confrontation. _

_It was when she saw another Akatsuki take off in the direction of where Naruto had gone that she became distracted, her chakra barrier waivered slightly, and that was why she was here. It was her own mistake. She turned to look for less than a moment and a bird blew up next to her face. _

_She remembered hearing Kakashi scream for her and the Uchiha saying something like, "Alive, Deidara."_

_Then the explosion rang out and she was gone._

X

She awoke from the dream of the battle all of a sudden. "Sakura," Kakashi forced the girl awake. "C'mon Sakura." He was shaking her shoulders lightly.

Her eyes fluttered open to see her sensei directly above her. She tried to smile at him, but it hurt her face too much to do so, the feeling of stiff skin tearing as her face instantly went into a grimace. "Kaka-"she began but she choked on her dry throat. A coughing fit ensued that made the entire left side of her face peel in an absolutely furious pain.

"Take it easy, Sakura, here," Kakashi said. He handed her a small glass of water, and pushed her into a sitting position slowly, supporting her as he had done before. She drank it eagerly as she listened to her sensei explain what was going on a bit. "It's time to eat," he continued, "They said if I didn't wake you up soon, they would. I'd rather they stayed away from you."

Sakura took a moment to take in her surroundings. They were in the same cell as when she'd awoken before, but she hadn't gotten that good of a look at it. Her medic instinct took over for a moment, and she ran her thorough eyes up and down Kakashi carefully. It seemed that Kakashi had come out of the battle mostly unscathed. His clothes were ripped and it looked as if one of his fingers was broken, but nothing else seemed physically wrong besides that minor wound. It had been forced straight and splinted with a small piece of foam and what looked to be a handle of a toothbrush. "How long was I out?" she asked tentatively.

"Two days," Kakashi replied dozily. "Each time they would take me out to interrogate me, I would be so worried about you. I was afraid they were going to take you away."

Sakura stiffened. Interrogate? How many times? She looked up at him worried. "What happened to you?"

"Don't worry, Sakura. It was mostly mental probing done by Itachi. He's trying to find a way to break my mental barrier. I'm sure they'll be doing the same to you. It's holding up well though. You did wonderfully placing it," Kakashi explained. He sounded so tired, as if he hadn't rested a moment since their capture. That was hardly healthy. "Once his genjutsu becomes more than I can handle, I can kick him out."

So they had been torturing him in some ways. Perhaps not physically, but mentally at least. However, Kakashi had been forced to endure Itachi's Tsukuyomi previously, and he had found ways to escape the comatose state that takes hold after he has been tortured. Sakura looked at her sensei sadly. "Did you follow me here?"

"Deidara capturing you caught me off guard and Uchiha was able to get me in his genjutsu. When I awoke, I was here, and they were strapping me up for interrogation," his voice was getting more and more wary.

"Do you want me to heal you anywhere?" Sakura asked instinctively. She felt her chakra had begun to rebuild in her system.

"You can't" Kakashi stated plainly. After receiving a bemused look from Sakura, he held up his wrists to show a thin silver bracelet attached to both his arms. "Chakra constraints. Your body is gathering chakra, but it can't be released or activated unless these are off. And only the Uchiha can release it. It seems as if is in charge of this particular mission."

"Hm," Sakura said, her face turning towards her own wrists to see she was featuring the same bracelets. She seemed to be in deep thought – as if she was formulating a plan for something. Her thoughts were interrupted by the grumbling sensation coming from deep within her stomach. She laughed at her hunger, but she quickly stopped once her burned face began to sting once again.

Kakashi handed her a plate of food – it was only a small amount of rice, chicken, and half an apple. He also gave her a small glass of milk. Sakura gulped the food down in a few bites. It surely wasn't enough, but she was happy to get something into her stomach. It would keep her strength up if she was going to figure out a way out of this mess – it was all her fault, after all.

The sun soon set beyond their little window. "Where do you think we are, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Best not to speculate," he replied. She heard it in his voice – he had an idea, but the room could be bugged so he didn't want the Akatsuki to figure out he knew. Only years of working with him closely would allow her to understand the underlying meanings in his voice. Plus, Kakashi-sensei was always looking underneath the underneath. His ingenious mind was always working, even when he seemed to be clueless.

"Okay," Sakura replied. "It's impossible to tell, anyway. We have no idea how long they travelled with us."

"Yeah."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few hours. Sakura stayed up while Kakashi rested. _He probably hasn't slept in days_. She groaned to herself. This was all her fault, and she knew it. If she hadn't been so _weak_…they wouldn't be in this mess. If she hadn't allowed herself to get distracted by Naruto and his safety, then they wouldn't have been captured. The Akatsuki obviously wanted them for information, but they weren't going to get it out of her. This time, she was going to be strong enough to protect Naruto. He was always trying to protect her, even when he was the one in mortal danger. While she was here, she needed to make sure that she did everything she could to protect him this time.

The sun was beginning to peak through the window when a man that Sakura didn't recognize arrived to take them to use the facilities. His face was covered by an orange swirling mask. The man didn't speak much, but when he did, Sakura couldn't help but feel he was only a child. His words were innocent and almost kind. He allowed Sakura to go into a small bathroom to shower and use the restroom – Kakashi did the same in an adjacent room.

There was no mirror, so Sakura couldn't assess her skin wounds. But she knew they must be bad. Kakashi grimaced every time he looked at her, and judging by the raw cracking and burning of her skin every time she tried to flinch a muscle, she must have at least second degree burns across a large portion of her face and neck. By moving her chakra around internally, she could feel nothing was seriously injured. Her left cheekbone was fractured and it seemed as if she had sprained her right ankle, but those were minor injuries compared to the burns.

She was able to turn her head enough to see the burns on her shoulder. Touching her neck and the left side of her face uncertainly, she discerned the burns were even worse than she originally thought. And she had thought they were _bad_. Third degree burns seemed to envelope the left side of her head, neck, and shoulder. She moved her hands to her hair. Since it had been tied up at the time of the explosion, it seemed that not much had been burned off. The hooded cloak and the borrowed ANBU mask that she had been wearing seemed to take some of the impact from the explosion away though, and she knew it would probably be a lot worse if she hadn't been wearing those menial articles of clothing. They didn't help much, but it seemed to have spared her hair. _Well that's something, I guess. _She thought inwardly.

She stepped into the cool shower and rinsed off. There was scentless shampoo and soap in the shower. She scrubbed the cuts that riddled her body, and she realized that there were many bruises that covered her as well. They were large and deep. _Must be from the other bombs that hit when my chakra shield was up_. She hesitantly pat soap on her burns. Sakura's eyes instantly winced at the searing pain that shot through her entire face.

Her vision went black from the pain, and she leaned out of the shower. She reached the toilet just in time to vomit her entire dinner. _C'mon Sakura, we can do this_._ You need to clean your wounds_. She got back into the shower and rinsed her hair with the shampoo, and after several attempts at cleaning her burns more thoroughly, she deduced that it was the best she could do with what she had been given. There was a sink next to the toilet that had a new toothbrush, still in its packaging, and toothpaste. Avoiding stretching the skin on her left side, since it was still tender and searing with fury, she brushed her teeth a bit to make herself feel more like a human and less like a zombie.

They had also provided her with a set of clothes – plain black ninja pants and a baggy black shirt. It took her a moment to realize they were standard issue Konoha jounin pants and shirt. The shirt even had the small Uchiha emblem stitched onto the sleeve. These were _his _clothes, and now she had to wear them. Shuddering, she slipped them over her head and her senses were instantly overcome with everything that was Uchiha Itachi. He smelled like sandal wood and tea. The clothes were soft and comfortable, and she found it ironic and disturbing that they felt so…snuggly. The urge to bury her face into the shirt overcame her, which she shook off instantly. Perhaps it was because he smelled like Sasuke a little. There was something different between their scents – Itachi's was more masculine and refined – but she could still tell they were family just by the simple smell. Rolling her eyes, she realized that she was gaining Kakashi's sense of smell.

It was time to leave the bathroom, she decided, since she had been in there for a while. She didn't want to unknown Akatsuki to get impatient with her, and she wasn't stupid enough to believe that he was harmless just because of his slightly cheery demeanor. If he was in the Akatsuki, he was powerful, no matter how kind and childlike he had been so far. When she exited the bathroom, the man was there waiting for her along with Kakashi. He led them back to their room, chatting amiably how it was nice to have two new friends staying with them. Sakura and Kakashi just stared strange looks as they flanked him back to the cell. Once they were in and secured, he brought in a tray. There were two bowls of okayu and two small bowls of grapes.

"I will be back in twenty minutes. Itachi-san would like to speak with Sakura-san when you are finished," the main said pleasantly. With that, he left.

Sakura ate in silence, and Kakashi continued to watch her as if he were analyzing her deeply. Of course, he really was analyzing her. Her sensei knew her well, and he knew she was up to something. "What are planning on doing, Sakura?" he asked.

"It's best not to speculate," she replied, not making eye contact with Kakashi. She knew he'd understand. She had a plan, but she didn't want anyone to know yet.

"Just don't do anything stupid," Kakashi replied quietly.

_No promises_. She thought. Outwardly, she nodded her head in agreement.

X

She had been hanging in the cold, damp room again for an hour. No one had come in yet. There was a light above her head that was on this time, though. Then, Uchiha Itachi entered silently – Kisame not too far behind. "Haruno Sakura," he said in his monotonous voice.

"Uchiha Itachi," she hissed back. Her insides were mush as unadulterated fear coursed through her. She could act as big and tough as she wanted, but she was sure her façade was fooling no one. The second the men had entered the room, her heart rate accelerated, and her body began to shake with tremors from their suffocating presence. It was if their aura filled the room the second they entered it, and it was stifling, suffocating.

"Are you ready to begin?" he asked casually, walking up to her. Her jade eyes were downcast, staring at his feet. It was time to enact her crazy, probably not going to work, near suicidal plan that she had been subconsciously formulating from her first meeting with the Uchiha. She saw the way he would wince, the way he held his head. Just like it had with Kakashi-sensei, the Sharingan was blinding Itachi.

"Aren't your eyes bothering you, Uchiha?" she spat at him. "Three days of constant interrogation can't be good for your Sharingan."

"How does she know so much, Itachi-san?" Kisame growled behind him. Itachi put his hand up to him, silencing his partner. The last thing they needed was the girl making unknown accusations and then finding out information that he would rather her remain uninformed of.

"You forget, fishy," Sakura mocked, "Hatake Kakashi is my sensei, and he has a Sharingan. Except his doesn't hurt anymore, does it?" she mused.

Itachi was quickly in front of her, his red eyes glaring into her jade ones once she was finally brave enough to make eye contact with him. "What do you mean kunoichi?" he finally asked in that deep, deadly tenor.

"Well _Akatsuki_, I have a proposition for you," she said tauntingly.

"Hm?" was his almost silent response. He tilted his head, which was only a few inches from hers, in curiosity. "And what's that?"

"I can heal your eyes," she replied, trying to keep herself calm despite every sense in her body telling her to be afraid. His head tilted further, and a mischievous smirk began to tug at the corners of his lips at what she was saying. "If you release Kakashi-sensei without further injury, I will heal your eyes. Permanently."

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AN: So I know it's kind of a cliché and overdone plot, but I like it, and it will be a bit different as the story goes. Please review!


	2. Pixie Dust

AN: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy. Please review!

Revised 7/6/13

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**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 2: Pixie Dust**

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"_All the world is made up of faith, trust, and pixie dust."_

_-J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan_

* * *

Uchiha Itachi was sitting across from her in a traditional dining area at the compound they were in. The curiosity that was flitting throughout his red eyes was masked behind his normally stoic façade, but Sakura could see the unanswered questions flying through them. His crimson orbs were staring at her impassively, his mouth set in a soft line, the stress lines that ran from his eyes down his cheeks a little more prominent now than the last time she had seen him in the light almost three years prior. She was sipping the tea that he had served her after carefully testing the brew for poisons. Kisame was sitting grouchily on the other side of the small room, clearly not at all amused by the current turn of events, but he would not question Itachi's decisions.

Once Sakura had made her offer, she had been quickly released from her shackles and brought here by a silent Kisame and Itachi. They hadn't said a word, hadn't affirmed or denied her proposition, and Sakura was getting nervous and anxious with the lingering silence that engulfed the room in a large, angry embrace. It was not a contented silence that she would share with Kakashi, or even a tension filled silence she would share with her shishou when something was wrong. It was simply silence. A pressure-filled silence that had done little to relent since the Uchiha had started staring at her several minutes prior. They had walked into the small room, Itachi had beckoned her to sit, served her tea, and then commenced with staring at her as if reading her soul.

"Let's get the details of this worked out now," he said flatly. The pink haired girl's offer earlier had taken him aback a bit because he had done little to affirm that he would be using her services. "I'll be completely honest with you if you are with me. That's the only way this will work."

The 18 year old jounin from Konoha set her cup down tentatively. That was a shocking promise to say the least. The Uchiha was promising to be honest with her? The biggest questions was, what was his angle? There was no reason for him to want to be honest with her, and she wasn't expecting him to do so. What did he need to be honest about? Her honesty would be necessary. If she wasn't honest, she could destroy him completely, but he could lie to her all he wanted. In fact, he could be lying right now.

Sakura considered her response carefully. If she was going to be dealing with someone as calm and collective as Uchiha Itachi, then she needed to be equally contemplative. Her inner almost laughed out loud. Sakura was about as contemplative when angry as Naruto. However, during battle, when her emotions were held under a taut control, she was almost as stratigicaly inclined as Shikamaru. So, without further hesitation, she said definitively, "Agreed."

"You will heal my eyes, permanently, in exchange for letting Kakashi-san free, unharmed," Itachi said.

"Yes. I will be there when you drop his body in Fire Country, to ensure your_ honesty_," she replied emphatically.

"Alright. You will also give me the information I want on the kyuubi," he stated as impassively as ever, but his voice held that hilt of an edge to it that made it clear he would not be trifled with.

"No," she replied both instantly and instinctively. She froze when she realized that she had completely denied the Uchiha without thinking about it. This particular retort had not been planned or well thought out at all – it had been a primitive reaction. Damn her temper. The Uchiha's eyebrow's raised and Kisame grunted his dissent from the corner, but the shark-nin did nothing to reprimand Itachi for trusting the slip of a kunoichi either. Sakura needed to think of something quickly to diffuse the intense gaze she was receiving form the Uchiha.

She would not give him everything he wanted. If Kakashi was able to go free, unharmed, then he would be able to find them and rescue her at some point, hopefully in the near future. Plus, Naruto needed Kakashi, especially now. Sasuke had deserted them six years ago, and Naruto was still trying desperately to find the younger Uchiha. Sakura had weaned herself off the idea that her former beloved would one day come home. Of course, she still wanted to desperately find and recover the Uchiha, dragging him back to Konoha one way or another, but she knew it would be difficult and time consuming. Sasuke would also fight it the entire time. Sakura could live with this. However, Naruto still needed the constant reassurance of those around him that he was doing the right thing.

Sakura saw her current situation as an opportunity to learn more about why Sasuke had left, and therefore, they may be able to find him easier. Plus, if she was by Itachi, then Sasuke just may find her one day. He was coming for him one way or another, and it would only benefit if Sakura was nearby to transport him back to Konoha when the time came. Naruto, however, could not be left alone without Sasuke, Kakashi, or her. He would go insane with intense rage with the sudden disappearance of his most precious people, and that would only mean bad news for anyone who got in his way. They were a family now, after all.

"This is a one to one deal. I heal your eyes, you let Kakashi go. Giving you information on Naruto would be giving you an extra, don't you think?" Sakura asked tersely after deciding how to respond to the intimidating man sitting before her, watching her with the intensity of a hawk. "Plus there's nothing you could offer me that would make me betray my friend."

Itachi was silently regarding her as he assessed what she said. "As you wish, but then I will be continuing interrogations of you. It's part of my mission."

Sakura nodded slowly, understanding that he had his duties as well, as convoluted and evil they were. "I understand. However, the more chakra I use to kick you out of my mind, the less will go into healing your eyes."

"Hn."

"Also, I will warn you of something," Sakura replied warily. She was truly questioning whether or not to reveal such a secret to the Uchiha, but she had agreed to be honest with him. In addition, this was information he needed if he was planning on breaking down her mental barricade. "If you manage to break my mental block, I will die."

Itachi raised his eyes to the kunoichi, who was looking at him solemnly. She seemed to be masking her fear of him. He knew better, though. Her heart rate was elevated and her body posture told him she was tense and poised to defend herself. He silently looked at her. Could she be telling the truth? They had agreed to be honest, but they were shinobi. They would do what they had to do to accomplish their goals. If he discovered she wasn't honest, he would merely kill her. She knew that, so he quirked an eyebrow at her, wanting and waiting for more information.

"The mental block holds all confidential information that I know about Konoha," she began. "And, seeing as I'm the apprentice to the reigning Hokage, I know a lot. Therefore, the Godaime implanted a mental block in my head three years ago after a particularly bad battle with a certain Akatsuki," she continued cautiously. Itachi realized that she was referring to her battle with Sasori that had effectively ended his life. "We decided that if I was going to be around the Akatsuki more, I needed a defense from this situation exactly. If the mental barricade is broken or if you enter it without my consent, my body instantly releases a toxin that will cause me to go brain dead almost instantly, further protecting the secrets of Konoha."

She finished and took a sip of her tea, almost casually, as if they were discussing the weather or a sports game. Itachi just regarded her wordlessly. The girl had made the ultimate sacrifice as a shinobi by implanting that into her brain. Just as the tattoos of Konoha's ANBU would destroy their body if they were mortally wounded or dead, she was taking on the possibility of being completely destroyed in the face of danger. The girl was a jounin, but such responsibilities were usually kept for ANBU level or higher.

Finally, Kisame broke the silence. "Then why does the copy-nin have one?"

"When we started our search for Sasuke-_kun_," Sakura turned to glare at the elder Uchiha, as if reminding him of what he did. Like he needed reminding, "Kakashi-sensei asked to have one implanted to protect himself from you. I did it myself."

"Aa," Itachi responded.

"There's one more thing that I need to be honest about before you accept this offer," Sakura practically whispered, once again questioning why she was revealing so much information. Itachi inclined his head. "There is no true _cure_ for what ails your eyes. I will heal the chakra pathways but if you continue to use your Sharingan, they will continue to suffer. When I realized this with Kakashi-sensei, I was able to create a sort of antidote for them. It's an eye drop solution. I'll give you a sample and the recipe once I'm done healing you."

Itachi was silent and just continued to stare at Sakura coldly. She knew he was simply processing what she had said, and formulating an answer in his ingenious, strategic mind. Finally, he said, "You'll go back to your room now. I accept your terms. We will leave at first light to drop Hatake in Fire Country and move to another location."

Sakura stood, as did Kisame. She gathered he would be escorting her back to her room. It was a short walk back to the cell that held Kakashi. He was pretending to sleep, Sakura knew, on his bed. Kisame slammed the metal door behind her and she quickly climbed onto her concrete bed. She got the feeling that the shark-nin did not like her presence, which would not be continuous, but he would not question Itachi outright. Perhaps they would leave that conversation until after she left.

For not the first time, Sakura thought about just how utterly similar Itachi and Sasuke were. Sometimes it just _hurt_ to look at the older Uchiha for how much he and his younger brother looked alike. Shaking her head, she forced back the memories that stirred whenever she thought about her long-lost comrade. He was lost in more ways than just one, and it would take a miracle to bring him back.

What had she gotten herself into? This would end badly for her. She knew that. Once she healed Itachi's eyes, they would most likely dispose of her – probably after attempting to break her mental barrier and discover all the secrets that Konoha had to offer.

"Sakura," Kakashi whispered quietly.

"Yes, sensei?" she responded equally as quietly. She could feel his eye on her back, but she didn't have the courage to turn and face him. This action that she had just undertook, an action without his or anyone else's permission, would make him furious with her. He would feel betrayed, surely. Of course, he would come to look for her. Those who abandon their friends are worse than trash...

It was for the best, though. Naruto needed Kakashi. She had to put her faith in the fact that they'd be coming after her once Kakashi was released, and they would find a way to get her out of here before she finished healing Itachi…before they killed her after she used up her worth. That was her only hope – they release Kakashi, she begins to heal Itachi's eyes trying to bide her time, and they rescue her. It was asking for too much, she knew, but it was the only way she'd make it out of this alive.

"Don't call me sensei, Sakura. You've surpassed me," Kakashi's voice was meaningful, honest, and genuine. It just made Sakura feel all the worse.

"You wanted to ask me something, Kakashi?" she responded sadly.

"How'd things go?" he asked cautiously. Sakura winced at the caring nature of his voice. She sat there for a moment, formulating her answer. All she wanted to do was turn around and tell him everything, but that would not do. She had to be the strong one, this time, not Kakashi. She had to do this – she needed to do this for Kakashi, Naruto, _and_ Sasuke.

All she could think to say was the truth, in some ways, "Better than expected."

X

Sakura bit back her tears as they ran through the forest silently. They had just exited Fire Country. It was only her, Itachi, and Kisame now.

Earlier that morning, Kisame had arrived and quickly incapacitated the copy-nin before Kakashi could even blink. He had done it right in front of Sakura, and she suspected the vile ninja took pleasure in her pain. They ran silently with Kakashi on Kisame's back to Fire Country. Once a few hundred yards inside the border, Itachi had allowed Sakura to inspect Kakashi. She also confirmed no one was waiting for them to leave to effectively destroy the copy-nin.

Sakura had asked one last favor of Itachi before they left. He allowed her enough chakra to hit the ground hard, causing a loud earth quake. This way, Leaf shinobi would find him quickly. Then, the group left in a hurry. Itachi had commanded that the girl keep up with them, and it wasn't something she was having much trouble with. She ran along quietly between him and Kisame.

Itachi noted the tears in the girl's eyes, threatening to burst. _What an emotional kunoichi she is. I suppose it gives her the extra thunder she needs though, when she's throwing her punches._ He thought – it was merely a passing notion. He turned his face forward and pushed more chakra into his feet.

"Faster," he commanded.

The little chakra Itachi allowed her was only enough to keep up with the two Akatsuki. She would have never run like this with Sai, Kakashi, and Naruto. However, her extensive training for the upcoming ANBU examinations had given her a lot of stamina. Sighing a little in defeat, she pushed a little more and ran faster to accommodate Itachi's new pace. Her mind wandered to how the Uchiha would be as an ANBU captain. That had been his position the night he left Konoha, after all. Surely, he would be professional and calm, and he would run his regiment with a strict precision. It was a far cry from how Kakashi ran his team, but every one of his missions would be accomplished.

The ANBU exams, she thought suddenly. With all of the recent events taking place, she had almost forgotten about them. For months now, she and Naruto had been working so hard for them because Kakashi had finally conceded that they were ready. She supposed she'd have to take the next one – seeing as the exams were less than a month away, and she would not be out of the Akatsuki's clutched by then. That would be too much to ask. Her brow furrowed in frustration at the wasted work. Well not wasted, she supposed, because it gave her enough to keep up with the famous ex-ANBU captain himself.

They were leading her to the coast of Tea Country. When they arrived at a small village, Itachi slowed to a walk. Sakura and Kisame followed suit. They walked in silence through the small village, attracting worried stares from villagers. Sakura realized that her face was still badly burned from her fight with Deidara. She must look like a monster between two Akatsuki who were no less intimidating.

Itachi, having been lost in his own thoughts about the girl, suddenly noticed that she was able to keep up with them, despite her injuries. He knew she had sprained an ankle, and her burns were still very severe, but she never mentioned it. That was impressive. Her skills were far beyond the levels of a mere jounin, but that was to be expected from the Hokage's apprentice. When they arrived at a dock with a small boat, Sakura had to admit she was surprised.

"Haruno-san," Itachi muttered quietly. Sakura immediately got into the boat. Kisame and Itachi followed, and they were off.

X

Kakashi awoke violently. He jerked up at the presence of chakra around him, and went to grab a kunai from his holster, only to realize it wasn't there. In fact, none of his clothes were there. He was in the hospital, and he was only wearing a traditional hospital gown and his mask. He groaned a little.

"KAKASHI!" Naruto screamed in joy as the boisterous shinobi landed on Kakashi, who grunted in pain as a response. Naruto quickly pulled off of him. "Sorry, Kakashi."

Kakashi was confused. Last he remembered, he was in a jail cell with Sakura when Kisame had come in and attacked –

Sakura.

"Where's Sakura?" Kakashi asked hoarsely.

"We were just about to ask you that, Hatake," the stern voice of the Hokage rang through the air. Her hands were on her hips and her brow was furrowed. If Kakashi wasn't so worried or confused, he would have joked that her apprentice took after her perfectly. That was often a look he received from the young kunoichi when she was about to scold him – like she was the sensei or something.

"I don't know what happened," Kakashi replied warily. He looked at his wrists to realize that his chakra binds had been released. Rubbing his writs ruefully, he contemplated what could possibly have happened. The last thing he remembered was Hoshigaki coming in to retrieve them…and then everything went black. So he had to have been knocked unconscious.

"Maybe this will jog your memory," Tsunade muttered harshly as she thrust a small piece of paper at the copy nin. "We found it in your clothes."

Kakashi looked at the paper. In Sakura's loopy handwriting it simply said, _'Naruto needs you. I'm sorry. Take care. Use your eye drops'_

Kakashi sighed deeply as the realization dawned on him. "She must have made a deal with Itachi. I don't know what for, but it must have required them to return me safely."

"We only found you so soon cause of the earth quake," Naruto groaned. "She must have released it so we'd find you fast."

"The question is – why and what did Sakura give the Uchiha in exchange?" Shikamaru said from the corner of the room. Kakashi hadn't even realized that he was there. He sighed once again – it was a knowing sigh. The other three turned their attention to the silver haired man, who still had his mask on, thankfully. Sakura was always looking beneath the underneath, just as Kakashi had told her. That meant that the answers would be underneath the underneath.

'_Use your eye drops.'_

Sakura knew that Kakashi always remembered that precious vial. He never left on a mission without one because he needed the drops so much. Although he wasn't one to usually grow so dependent on something, the drops that Sakura had concocted helped immensely with the pain of the Sharingan, which was slowly seeping the vision from his borrowed eye. So there was no reason for Sakura remind him to use the drops; therefore, he could only deduce she had put in that line for another reason – a hint at her reasons.

"She'll help him heal his eyes."

X

The group of shinobi arrived on a small island just south of Water Country a few days after their travel began. There had been little to no conversation. It was mostly just Itachi's orders and Kisame's grunts of assent.

Sakura was going insane. As a medic, it was her duty to be social, polite, and kind to her patients. While training for this part of her job, she turned into quite the social butterfly. Going out to bars, to dinner, or just training and talking with her friends were among her favorite things to do back in Konoha. Between visits with her parents, patients, friends, and teammates, Sakura was almost always in contact with another human being. And she thrived on it; in fact, her sanity depended on it.

Uchiha Itachi and his fish friend were a completely different story, though. They were both quiet by nature. Sakura got the distinct impression that Kisame was actually more social than he was letting on, but he didn't seem to appreciate her presence with them. It was clear that he didn't trust her, which he shouldn't if he was a good shinobi, and he was being both quiet and slightly standoffish. However, they were just different from her; comfortable silence was probably what they wished for in their partnership. Plus, she told herself, this was a completely different situation.

But was it really? She needed to start thinking of Itachi as a patient. She needed to gain his trust. That wasn't likely to happen, at least not completely. Soon, she'd be operating on possibly the most sensitive part of his body, especially to him. A good portion of Itachi's success as a ninja could be attributed to his eyes. His genjutsu relied on it almost completely. He was nothing without his eyes, she realized. Alright, that was a bit of stretch. Sakura was fairly certain the Uchiha could kill her quickly and beat her in any fight, blind or not.

The tenser he would be about the situation, the longer it would take for her to fix him. An unwilling patient would do no good.

The group had made their way to a small home on the island. Sakura soon realized, though, that it was heavily guarded with traps and jutsu. She followed Itachi's and Kisame's footsteps carefully as not to trigger them. There was an entire genjutsu erected around the base, most likely to confuse anyone who happened to wander by, as well as several physical traps. They entered the traditional home, which was very large. Several rooms were separated by screens, leading into a maze of rooms that she would never see. Itachi led her down a flight of steps that were connected to the wooden porch to an underground room.

Itachi opened the door to reveal a small room with a futon, a desk, a chair, and a bathroom attached. "You will stay here. There are chakra seals on it, so if you try to break out, it won't work."

"I won't try," Sakura muttered darkly. "Honesty, remember?"

"Hn. We will begin tomorrow. Is there anything you require?" Itachi asked evenly.

"Three scrolls and something to write with," Sakura replied curtly. Her eyes instinctively strayed away from his – an instinct taught to her over the years of dealing with both Itachi and Sasuke on a semi-regular basis.

Itachi seemed to notice this, of course. "You will need to look at them eventually," he commented quietly. Sakura looked up to meet his eyes in a tentative hold. His face was bare, no emotion flitting across his face. The stress lined that ran in diagonal lines from his eyes looked a little deeper than usual, probably from traveling for several days. His mouth was set in a thin line, but not unfriendly. When Sakura finally met his crimson gaze, she saw his eyes flash with amusement ever-soo-slightly, as if the fact that she was afraid of him was funny.

"Either Kisame-san or I will bring your dinner and the materials you require," he finally stated monotonically. Sakura stepped into the room quietly, and he shut the door behind her. A surge of quiet, almost placid chakra from him told her that she was sealed into the room now. It took her a moment to realize that his chakra was different than she would have thought it was. Sakura always thought of him as a dark enemy with a dark aura and even darker chakra. But there was something utterly _sad_ about Itachi's chakra – as if defeated. A small swell of pity for the man holding her captive rushed within her. Sakura couldn't say why such a feeling emerged within her, but it did. Trying to ignore it, she sighed and lay down on the futon. Only then did she allow a few tears to shed her eyes.

The next day, Sakura had a few scrolls in hand as Itachi brought her up to a small room on the main floor. It was a cozy room, a normal, traditional sitting room; however, it was spacious and quaint, and it instantly gave off a homey feel. How ironic, she thought bitterly to herself, that it was inhabited by the Akatsuki. Someone like her would make much better use of such a room – not those S-classed bastards. There were two large cushions that looked _very _comfortable, a small fireplace between them, and two tables in the room. Itachi sat quietly on one of the cushions, and proceeded to stare at the kunoichi who was unrolling the scrolls silently.

He saw a few diagrams on one and notes on another. The third was blank – presumably, for her notes on his eyes. It was all very neat research, he remarked. _She must have remembered a lot from when she healed Hatake's eyes._ He mused to himself while watching her methodical, evenly paced work. Although her movements were both sedate but efficient, he could tell she was uncomfortable – her heart rate was elevated and perspiration dripped down her neck and forehead. She shouldn't worry, he mused, and she seemed very proficient – just as he had always heard she was. She didn't seem nearly as impressed though, as she sighed at her work, annoyed.

"This is incomplete," she remarked, more to herself then to him. As she sat on the cushion net to him, she turned to him. Her eyes widened as if just realizing he was there, and he couldn't help but feel amused by her shock and befuddlement. Her work ethic was obviously a strong one, and she seemed to become so engrossed in her work in such a short period that her mind focused solely on her work. This could be a huge asset, or a major weakness if she ever exhibited such rash actions in the field. He looked at her without one emotion on his face, and her eye instantly twitched a little in annoyance.

"What can we do to make it complete, Haruno-san?" he asked calmly, but there was this slight hitch to his voice that Sakura heard. It was as if he was talking to a small child, asking her what she would like as her ice cream order. Her brown twitched once again in annoyance. This was going to be a long few weeks.

"Nothing, I guess. I'd need my original research. You can't get that," she replied intently, ignoring his slightly-verbal jab. "This will have to do. So, shall we begin?" Her voice was tentative and slightly shaky. The young woman was obviously still attempting to hide her fear of him, but seemed to be wavering more and more with each passing moment.

"Proceed," he replied, his red eyes gazing into her jade ones.

"First off, call me by my first name," she said, rather uncertainly.

"Why?" The question came out instantly, before he had time to really thing of her request.

Sakura's brow furrowed and she placed her hands on her hips in a visceral motion that came from years of practice with Naruto and Kakashi. Her first instinct had been, to her horror, to scold him for questioning her. That would have been bad. Quickly, though, she removed them and looked at him thoughtfully for a moment while she formulated a proper response.

_It must be an instinctual reaction,_ Itachi commented to himself, _when someone doesn't do something she commands. Interesting. _

Sakura thought about hitting the Uchiha for a moment but quickly dispelled the idea seeing as it would quickly get her killed. She responded, "It'll be easier on you and me if we are able to relax around each other…a bit. I mean, I'm already anxious being here in enemy territory, and I can't be nervous while doing this. I can't do my best work being completely…terrified."

Itachi watched her for a moment, a very thoughtful look on her face. She was anything but relaxed. Realizing this, she took a breath in and out and managed to appear more comfortable even though she seemed to only marginally improve. She had stopped shaking and her heart beat managed to regulate itself. Itachi could have been difficult, but he chose to listen to what the kunoichi said. "Okay, Sakura-san."

Sakura gave a faint smile. "Next, I need chakra. At least 30 percent."

With that, Itachi darted his hands out quickly and grabbed her wrists in his calloused hands. Sakura gasped at his reaction. She hadn't even seen his hands move. His hands were larger than she realized. They were soft except for the callouses that were on his fingers. Quietly, he pushed chakra into the bindings on her wrists, allowing a small amount to be allowed into her hands.

"Will that be sufficient?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Heal yourself first," he commanded. This was shocking to her. She shot a look at him.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"I would like to see your abilities in action before I allow you to go probing into my most deadly weapon, Sakura-san," he replied matter-of-factly. Sakura had almost forgotten about her burns. They simply itched now. She had gotten past the pain. "They also look painful. I need your full attention, and you can't give me that if you're in pain."

"Oh, sure…except," she said surprised, holding her hand to her cheek.

"What?" he asked.

"I need you to re-break my cheek," she replied warily. Her eyes met his. She looked as if she wanted to either cry or run. "It's healed too much the past few days. It won't heal properly if it isn't re-broken."

"Aa," he replied. He realized it then. She could easily re-break her own cheek. She was doing it as a trust tactic. Something similar to what she had done when she'd offered their deal in the first place. A one-to-one deal. He was going allow her to be more intimate with him than he had with anyone before. He was going to allow her to investigate his eyes. In return, she trusted him to break her cheek. She was clever…because it was working. He already felt more trusting of the kunoichi before him.

He slowly moved his hands up to her cheek that was still covered in gruesome burns. They had to be painful, but she wasn't showing it; her training as a kunoichi had taught her how to work through the pain with minimal adverse physical effects. He found the fracture quickly, running his long fingers over her cool skin. For a moment, he reveled in how soft she was. Shinobi shouldn't be so soft, he thought for a moment before quickly moving his hand over the small break where the bomb had hit. Sakura shut her eyes as he allowed a jab of chakra into her face. She squeaked in pain as the fracture split. She allowed one tear to escape as she quietly placed her hand to her face.

Green chakra spread into her hands as she healed the fracture. Then, she turned her attention to the burns. She moved her hands across her slender neck and her face. The burns began to fade into a dull pink quickly. She parted her lips and sighed in delight as the pain was soon subsiding within her. Itachi watched her intently as her soft hands ran from the base of her slender neck, down her shoulder, and back up, patching the dead, rotting, burning flesh into something soft, tender, and pink.

When she'd finished healing her burns, she looked at Itachi. He had been staring at her wordlessly the entire time. She flushed a little as he was scrutinizing her work, but it felt glorious to have the burns gone. Never again would she underestimate the pain that they shinobi in the burn ward at the hospital were under. Before, she had known burns were painful, but nothing was as bad as the itching, peelings, stretching, and raw pain that she had felt in conjuncture with this injury. She must look a little more human, now, she mused. Itachi was staring at her still.

The kunoichi, he had to admit, was pretty attractive now that the grotesque burns had been replaced with new skin. When her lips parted and she sighed in relief, Itachi felt a slight tugging in his stomach. It was obvious enough to him that he had felt a small amount of physical attraction to the kunoichi emerge. He sighed inwardly. This would be problematic.

It had been a while since he had female company. Perhaps he would rectify this after their healing session. There were several women in the town just south of here that he was…familiar…with. Yes, he would go after the session. He should not be feeling these urges towards a hostage, much less a leaf kunoichi. Now that she was going to be staying with them for an extended period of time, he would have to make sure he dealt with his physical urges in order to keep their relationship professional. Although he knew it was purely a biological reaction – he was a 23 year old male, after all – he still chastised himself as the girl finished her ministrations on herself.

She was now looking back at him thoughtfully, meeting his gaze in a much more comfortable manner than she had been before. Obviously her improved physical state had helped her regain quite a bit of her confidence.

"Good enough?" she asked curtly. He simply nodded in response. "Lay down then," she said, just as brusquely.

He followed her orders without comment and allowed his lids to become heavy. "Close your eyes and deactivate your Sharingan, please," she said, a little more kindly.

Itachi opened an eye at her, accusingly. She sighed. "Honesty, remember? I won't hurt you." He hesitantly closed his eyes. She murmured quietly, "Relax."

He took a silent breath in and out as he felt her hands on either side of his head, making contact with his temples. "You're going to feel my chakra now," she warned. This did not keep him from startling a bit when her smooth, cool chakra made its way into his head. He had to fight down every urge not to snap his hands up at her and grab her wrists away.

Amazing. It was simply amazing. He felt the dull thud in his eyes ease at the chakra flowing through him. This wasn't even her healing chakra, he realized. This was just chakra that was probing his eyes and head, and it was already soft, welcoming. It felt like home. It felt like a warm bath after a difficult mission; a warm meal after a hard day; a warm embrace from a beloved after a stressful week – it was all these things and so much more. No wonder Konoha treasured her when she could make their shinobi feel this soft from just a simple touch. Her hands lifted quickly and he heard her writing something on a scroll.

"Please activate your Sharingan." He did so. He felt the same probing chakra that seeped into him. If he wasn't careful, he would fall asleep from the warm hum of her chakra in his overly stressed, often aching head. "The next level…and keep them closed."

He almost smirked at her. He kept his eyes closed as her chakra probed his most infamous weapon. Finally she stopped and made more notes while he kept his eyes closed, his body instantly reeling from the sudden lack of warmth. She was dangerous, very, very dangerous. "You can go back to either no Sharingan or your first level, and open your eyes."

He allowed his first level Sharingan to stay in place as he opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was furiously scribbling on the scroll in front of her. Finally she stopped and looked at him. "They're a lot worse than I thought," she bit. "You're foolish."

She said it before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened in realization at what she'd said. She turned and realized the Uchiha was glaring at her with anger at the insult. Before Itachi could react, she sputtered, "I'm sorry!"

No one, absolutely no one, had ever called Uchiha Itachi foolish. She had surprised him. This little kunoichi had managed to surprise _him_. He glowered at her comment. When her apology came, he relaxed a little. She bit her lip at his look, "Please don't look at me like that." His eyebrow quirked in a question he clearly expected her to answer. She looked nervous. "You look like your brother. Sasuke-kun used to look at me like that."

Itachi thought for a moment, and then decided it was best to ignore that comment. The girl obviously still harbored the wish for his foolish younger brother to return to them. Instead, he asked, "Can you heal them?"

She bit her lip again. He recognized she did this when she was thinking and when she was nervous. "I think so. If I can't get them 100 percent, I can at least get them markedly better than they are now."

He felt himself sigh with relief at her declaration. Although he had heard so many good things about her, he was still aware of the major damage he had done to his eyes. The blurry lines, misshaped people, and constant strain was something that he had adapted to, but the thought of it being better,_ markedly _better, was a welcome one. Plus, he didn't particularly want to kill this kunoichi. He wouldn't care too much, obviously, but she was talented. Such talent would be wasted if he had to kill her.

"That is acceptable."

"We're done for the day. I need to formulate a plan," she responded. "Plus, a lot of my chakra went to help healing myself today. Thanks for that, by the way."

Her voice was sincere, genuine, earnest. She was truly _thanking _him. He rose, as did she. He lightly touched the chakra bindings on her wrists to restrict the chakra that was allowed to her hands. Her eyes widened at the slight contact, but they soon returned to normal. She gathered her scrolls in her arms. He led her to her room in the basement and allowed her inside to find a way to fix his eyes. He, however, was headed to town.

* * *

AN: Please review. For those of you reading this since I revised, I hope you liked the added detail.


	3. Eating the Apple

**AN: **I'm so disgusted with this chapter that I can't even revise it. Yeah, it's that bad. So please take this chapter with a grain of salt and read it only for the plot points for the rest of the story, and forgive my horrible ineptitude at writing for this chapter and chapter 4. Thank you for your patience, and I promise that the rest of this story is better than these chapters. Thank you for reading and please review.

Updated 8/25/13

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 3: Eating the Apple**

* * *

"_Did perpetual happiness in the Garden of Eden maybe get so boring that eating the apple was justified?" _

― _Chuck Palahniuk, Survivor_

* * *

"Itachi-san," her voice was sweet as her hands finally left his eyes. The sudden lack of soothing sensation from her chakra made Itachi feel somewhat empty. Her healing chakra was absolutely glorious on his tired eyes.

She'd been with them for a week now. Every other day they would work on his eyes and Itachi could already feel a difference. When he used his Sharingan, it no longer hurt as much as it had before. His vision was sharper and he felt himself responding quicker.

"Hn?"

"When is the next time you're going into a town?" she asked. Sakura felt a little more comfortable around the Uchiha. Her body didn't seem as tense when he entered her room, and she didn't feel the need to be constantly battle ready with him around. This being said, she was always on guard around him.

"Tomorrow, most likely," he stated.

"Get this while you're there?" she asked. He opened his eyes and found her sitting on the cushion next to him, holding a piece of paper. In her large loopy handwriting, a type of tea Itachi had never heard of was listed. "You'll be able to find it at any medical shop."

"Why?" he asked flatly.

"It's good for your eyes. It also helps me regenerate my chakra. Oh, one more thing!" she muttered excitedly as she grabbed her pen and a scrap of paper. Carefully, she drew a rough sketch of a plant and its root on it with a name and a brief description. "There should be a ton of this growing around. Could you just pick some next time you're outside?"

"Hn," he replied flatly. She was getting more and more brazen with him; she'd ask for things and he found her calling him foolish under her breath. Also, she'd begun making demands of him when it came to his eyes – telling him not to sleep with his Sharingan on, or keep it deactivated when he was in the compound. He supposed it was just the doctor in her, and he was sure she rarely had opposition to her demands back in Konoha.

She smiled her best smile at him and thanked him. He supposed they were done for the day, and he escorted her back to her room. She subconsciously held her wrists up to him and he reduced the amount of chakra she was allowed. Then, after she entered the room, he sealed her back in.

Sakura was going stir crazy in her room. She found herself loving the times she would heal Itachi just because it was getting out of this tiny, claustrophobic room. She had read over her notes a hundred times in the past week. _Ugh I'm so bored_.

She found herself staring at the wood panels on the ceiling. She made shapes using the naturally engraved grooves that were on the boards. She found one section that looked like Naruto. It created the allusion of whiskers, a big smile, and spikey hair. She found another one that resembled Sai. There was another that gave Tsunade credit. Sakura rolled over, huffed, and tried to sleep.

She awoke to a light knock on her door. She was surprised how long she'd slept despite the fact that she never did anything. It was most likely from her expelling so much chakra during her healing sessions with Itachi.

Itachi entered the room once she righted herself on the bed, holding a tray with her breakfast. "Sakura-san," he acknowledged quietly.

"Good morning, Itachi-san," she replied happily. He sat the miso soup on her end table and turned to leave the room.

Before he left, he looked at her once again. "Kisame and I are leaving on a mission now. Deidara and Tobi will be looking after you in our absence. When we return, though, we will be moving to a different location."

"Why?" Sakura asked. She set her spoon down thoughtfully. Itachi felt a twinge of annoyance in his chest – why would she even ask such a question? He could move her all he pleased and she'd have to go. If she resisted, he would kill her.

"Kakashi-san will surely be searching for you by now."

"Oh," she replied. Her brow furrowed a bit in deep thought. She seemed to practically forget he was there. This was not uncommon – she seemed to do this all the time – especially when she was healing him. It irked him a bit, not that he'd ever show it.

"Is there something you wish to say?" he asked curtly.

Blank green eyes filled with life again as she snapped out of whatever trance her thoughts had put her in. Her eyes looked a little perturbed, yet a little worried. "Oh, no," she huffed.

He could feel his eyebrow visibly twitch at his frustration with her. "What is it?"

"I'm just bored," she sighed. With that, she returned to her attention to her miso soup and began eating again. This was her sign that she was done with the conversation. Itachi slanted a last glance at her as he left the room.

He allowed a silent sigh of exasperation to leave his lips. _She was bored? _He thought tersely. The kunoichi had some nerve. She was technically a _hostage_, and she was complaining about being bored? Well, fine, if she was bored, then he would leave her with something to do.

Itachi walked swiftly to a room with a large amount of scrolls in it that was hidden at the back of the compound. He quickly found the box he was looking for, and he pulled it out and walked towards the kitchen. Deidara and Tobi had just arrived, he surmised, judging by the two chakra forms that were now in the living room.

"Are you sure about this, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked, looking at the contents in the box that Itachi had just set on the kitchen table. Itachi had just shortly explained his purpose for the box to him when Kisame's face had become curious at its' presence.

"Hn."

Kisame's brow wrinkled in discontentment. "These are secrets," he hissed. "She'll realize that there are spies in Konoha."

"Konoha is very well aware that they have spies," Itachi replied briefly. "Sakura-san is the apprentice to the hokage – she probably knows exactly who our informants are."

"She's getting under your skin, isn't she, yeah?" Deidara asked. He was lounging lazily on the couch in the next room. "She is a gutsy one. Fun to battle."

"Deidara don't you dare try to spar with her while we're gone," Kisame warned. "She'll escape for sure."

"Oh calm down, yeah. I won't let her out of her room," Deidara replied. "I don't even like her. She killed Sasori."

"I'll make sure Deidara-senpai behaves!" Tobi interjected jubilantly. Itachi could hear Deidara sigh in the next room at his annoying partner.

Itachi's eyes shifted to Tobi who was now sitting on the same couch as Deidara. He always suspected something amiss with the newest member of the Akatsuki. He couldn't prove anything, though. So he was contented with just observing and avoiding the masked man as much as he could. Truly, the man was obnoxious.

"Fine. Please give her this box with her dinner tonight, Deidara-san. Kisame-san, let's go," Itachi said. Kisame stood and they left the house for their mission.

X

Sakura wasn't surprised when Tobi and Deidara came to the room with her dinner. After all, Itachi had said they would be guarding her in his absence. What did surprise her was the box of scrolls that the masked-nin had with him. Deidara didn't say anything as he set her dinner of tempura down. He motioned for Tobi to set down the box at the foot of her bed.

"Itachi-san said you were bored. He asked us to leave these with you, yeah," Deidara muttered. Then, they were gone.

Sakura ate her dinner warily as she stared at the box. _What could he possibly leave me? Medical scrolls, perhaps? _When she was finished, she crawled slowly to it and observed the contents inside. She gasped – they all had a secret seal on them that marked they were from Konoha, and they were marked as classified ANBU missions. Judging by the various colorations of the scrolls, some of them were very old and some of them were brand new.

She pulled one out, unsealed it, and began to read. Soon, she found herself crying in frustration, sadness, confusion, and anger. Scroll after scroll, hour after hour, Sakura read them all. Each time she did, she found herself getting angrier and sadder. To her surprise, Deidara came in the next morning with her breakfast, and she realized she hadn't slept at all.

"What is this?" she shouted, her hand shaking a scroll. Tears were welling up in her eyes as her heart ached in pain. "Why'd you bring these to me, you bastard?"

"I dunno, yeah. Calm down," he replied. "Itachi-san just told me to bring them to you. Like I said, he mentioned you were bored."

Sakura threw a scroll against the wall, hard. If she had any chakra, it would have broken the wall to bits. Unfortunately, the only thing she could do now was sob. Deidara looked nervously around, not knowing what to do. Of course, he knew what the scrolls contained. He knew from his previous altercations with the kunoichi that she would get upset with the information she was now reading. He hadn't, however, anticipated her sobbing all over the damned place.

"Do you want me to take them out?" he asked, a little more tenderly then he liked. Her entire body was shaking with her furious sobs.

"No," she choked out. "When does Uchiha-san get back?"

"Tomorrow."

"Leave them here until then, please."

Sakura had never marked the Uchiha as cynical. Of course, this was a man that had annihilated his entire clan in one fowl swoop. Nonetheless, she had not anticipated _this_. He was a heartless bastard. Once her debt was paid and she'd escaped, he would receive a chakra-infused kick to the groin for this.

Deidara left, sealed the room, and walked back into the kitchen where Tobi was. "She is _not_ happy, yeah."

"Itachi-san doesn't like Sakura-san," Tobi observed. "And I don't think Sakura-san likes Itachi-san either. Why is she here, Deidara-senpai?"

"You know why," Deidara replied shortly, his blonde hair falling into his face.

"There's no one else who can heal Itachi-san's eyes?" Tobi asked, curious.

"Don't forget about that other reason, Tobi," Deidara reminded him.

Tobi's face went up as if he remembered something, "That's right, the other reason. Oh I do hope Sakura-san agrees. I like her. I don't want to have to kill her."

X

The mission hadn't been difficult – a simple assassination mission of a feudal lord. The payment was relatively large compared to the difficulty of the task, and Itachi supposed that the lord must have done something very wrong to elicit such hate from his wards. That was beside the point now – he was dead and the mission was successful.

When Itachi and Kisame walked back into the house, Deidara and Tobi were sitting at the kitchen table sipping tea. Deidara looked at him a little worried. Itachi quirked a brow at him questioningly.

"You should go see Sakura-san," Deidara muttered. "She's pissed, yeah. Been throwing furniture around down there for a day or so – wouldn't surprise me if she didn't have much furniture left"

Something inside of Itachi tingled with amusement. His attempts at discomfiting the kunoichi had clearly worked judging by the grave look on Deidara's face. Even Tobi was slumped a little. Kisame walked past him, sat down at the table, and poured himself some tea. "Have fun," he muttered.

Itachi glided down the stairs and unsealed the room. As he opened the door, a scroll hit the wall right next to his head at alarming speed. He glared at the kunoichi who was pressed against the wall at the opposite end.

Itachi was startled by the look that Sakura had in her eyes. It was one of complete hate, anger, and deadly intent. Instantly, his senses were on edge. Her eyes were dead – the usual light that was in them was gone. When she spoke, Itachi realized it was a different person completely.

"You. Bastard," the girl hissed. She was shaking uncontrollably. Her face was red and puffy from tears, but she seemed to be paying no mind to them now. Itachi was slightly taken aback by the absolute killing intent coming from deep within her voice, and he moved to contain her.

"Sakura-san…" his voice said quietly with warning.

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. The sound of his voice had incensed her further. There was a _click_ and two small poofs of smoke by each of her wrists. Then, the chakra bracelets that had once been around her wrists, containing her, fell. Itachi was quick to move, but with chakra fueling her legs, she was faster.

Her right hand was headed directly towards his face. He saw it coming just in time, but he couldn't completely dodge the blow. While her hand never made direct contact with his face, her chakra grazed it. He felt two _cracks_ and a _pop_, and determined she had fractured and dislocated his jaw, as well as broken his cheek bone.

Kunai in hand, he was prepared to slit her throat, when Kisame, Tobi, and Deidara flew into the room. Kisame and Tobi both grabbed one of Sakura's arms respectively and were pinning her to the back wall.

Deidara stood in front of Sakura, who was thrashing around. "Get off me!" she howled. Deidara grabbed her face in his hands and studied her closely using his scope that covered one eye. His legs were pinning hers down, but he could tell he wouldn't be able to hold on long.

"This isn't her," he stated flatly. He turned towards Itachi who was trying to ignore the pain and instant swelling of his left cheek.

Itachi walked up to them slowly. Deidara knelt down and fastened Sakura's legs with binds so she couldn't kick anybody. Sakura, though, was now starting to lose herself to unconsciousness. Itachi placed his right hand on her face and forced her to look at him. Suddenly, those dead eyes were replaced with shining pools of confusion and sadness.

"I-i-itachi-san?" she asked. Her eyes widened as if she'd just realized something. She pushed chakra into her right arm, throwing Tobi off of her with a swift movement, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."

Her hand was moving slowly to Itachi's face as tears streamed consistently down her cheeks. "What did she do, what did she do?" she repeated as her soft medical chakra touched his face tenderly. Instantly, the pain that had been there was soothed and the fractures and dislocations were healed.

"Sakura-san, look at me," Itachi commanded. Her head nodded slowly as her sad jade eyes met his. Sharingan eyes were turning to pinwheels as he felt himself being sucked in.

X

_Itachi was inside of her mind which was clearly in turmoil. As he gained his bearings he realized he was interrupting some sort of internal battle. He turned to see Sakura on the ground. She was sitting, but her knees were pulled to her chest so she was in the fetal position. Although her body was black in his genjutsu, her eyes had remained a brilliant green. Red tears were streaming down her face and her arms were clenching her hair. _

"_No…no…no…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she was whispering to herself. _

_Itachi felt the ground shake and he whipped around to see __**another**__ Sakura there. This one had jade eyes as well, but they were the dead eyes of the girl he had seen in her bedroom. "Who are you?" he asked evenly. _

_The 'dead' Sakura as he now chose to call her laughed mirthlessly. "We have yet to be properly introduced. I'm inner-Sakura."_

_Itachi had remembered Sakura saying something like that when he first had invaded her mind. Realization dawned on him – this was a different person completely. "Don't you usually stay behind her mental block?" Itachi asked. _

_Inner-Sakura laughed again. "Yes, you see, Sakura shoved every negative emotion within her down for so long that her brain finally formed __**me**__ to compart metalize with. Then, I realized, as I was reading those scrolls you gave to us, that __**you**__ are the reason for my being. __**You **__are the reason behind Sakura's heart ache."_

_Itachi quirked a brow, needing more explanation. Inner-Sakura huffed. "YOU," she boomed, "Are the reason why Sasuke left. YOU are the reason why Naruto left after him. YOU are the reason why Kakashi began the search for Sasuke. YOU are the reason why Sakura was ignored. It all began one night thirteen years ago when you massacred your entire clan for power."_

"_Aa," Itachi said. Inner-Sakura blamed him for __**everything**__. Of course, not all of her information was false – but it wasn't completely accurate either. That was alright, though, it was none of her business. "And you come out when Sakura is distressed?"_

"_If she can no longer control herself, yes, I make an appearance. Over the years, though, with her training, she was able to bury me further and further. Then, one day, she found out how to use me to her advantage with her mental barricade. However, with what those scrolls said, she was no longer able to handle herself."_

"_She's weak," Itachi stated pointblank. _

_That statement was a mistake because the other version of Sakura – the true version – was now standing behind him. Red tears were still pouring down her face, "Don't you dare say that. I'm not weak."_

"_Then don't act weak, you sniveling piece of shit," Inner-Sakura hissed. Sakura was now pushing past Itachi and attacking her inner-self. "You should just give me control completely. No one __**needs**__ you. No one __**wants**__ you. I'm twice the shinobi you'll ever be. I'm stronger then you are, I have more chakra then you do. I'm even a better healer then you are."_

_Itachi took a step back. He realized that he was in the middle of Sakura's mind, and the way she felt about herself made his insides churn. No shinobi should second guess themself like this. This lack of self-esteem is what created inner-Sakura. _

"_You are a heartless, careless, rotten piece of myself that I wish didn't exist," Sakura screamed as her fist made contact with her inner-self._

_Inner-Sakura laughed hollowly. "And you're bothersome. Even Itachi-san is annoyed by you. Every Uchiha you've met finds you __**annoying – **__Sasuke was annoyed by you, and now Itachi. Maybe you should just give up talking to people for a while you annoying piece of –" _

_Sakura felt two strong hands on her shoulders as she was being pulled away from the battle. Itachi was now in front of inner-Sakura, making hand seals quickly. "This is enough," he muttered. He pressed his hand to the top of inner-Sakura's head and with a poof of black smoke, she was gone._

X

"Sakura-san," she heard. She felt her body jerking lightly, like someone was shaking her awake. "Sakura-san," the voice chided a bit, goading her out of her sleep. She didn't fully recognize the voice, but it was familiar.

"C'mon, yeah, let her sleep," another voice said. That was Deidara, she realized. Her eyes snapped open, and she was staring at an orange mask. It was Tobi.

"Sakura-san! You're awake!" Tobi exclaimed.

She sat up groggily, and realized that they were no longer in her room in Water Country. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere north, yeah," Deidara answered. Sakura took in her surroundings carefully. She was in another bedroom that wasn't too dissimilar from the one she'd inhabited previously. This one was a little larger, though, and was made out of stone. She surmised they were probably in Earth Country.

Tobi's voice snapped her out of her observations. "You feeling okay, Sakura-san?" he asked. Sakura was surprised by the genuine concern in it.

"I'm fine, Tobi-san, thank you. How'd we get here?" she asked sleepily.

"You, Tobi and I flew," Deidara answered. Sakura understood that he meant with his bird. "Itachi and Kisame are walking here. We figured it would probably be good to give you and Itachi-san some space and days apart. He told us everything that happened."

Sakura groaned as all of the memories from her last interaction with Itachi came flooding back. She had been blacked out for a lot of it when inner-Sakura had taken control of her. When she came to, she'd realized that she must have hit Itachi judging by the swelling of his face. He'd allowed her to heal him, though, before he entered his mind.

She felt a wave of embarrassment and shame wash over her. No one was supposed to see that side of her – the shameful, angry side that she always kept buried unless she needed her. Itachi had been in her mind though, and he'd done something to inner-Sakura.

The hand-seals he had made came back to Sakura – she'd recognized them. Sakura searched and searched inside herself and she gasped when she came to the conclusion that inner-Sakura was no longer there.

* * *

AN: I hope I didn't make you want to vomit at how horrible this chapter was. Thank you for sticking with it and please just make it through chapter 4 before the story gets better. Please review!


	4. The Eye of a Tornado

**AN: **I'm so disgusted with this chapter that I can't even revise it. Yeah, it's that bad. So please take this chapter with a grain of salt and read it only for the plot points for the rest of the story, and forgive my horrible ineptitude at writing for this chapter. Thank you for your patience, and I promise that the rest of this story is better than these chapters. Thank you for reading and please review.

Updated 8/25/13

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 4: The Eye of a Tornado**

* * *

"_I guess I should have reacted the way most of the other girls were, but I couldn't get myself to react. I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo." _

― _Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar_

* * *

Sakura clutched the sides of her hair as her stomach upheaved. There was nothing there to come out seeing as she hadn't eaten in days– but she gagged nothing over her bed. Deidara and Tobi jumped back, confused as to what was going on. "Sakura-san?" Tobi inquired.

Her entire body was shaking uncontrollably as inside her mind, she fought to find inner-Sakura. "Where'd he put her?" she croaked as her body rocked back in forth. She needed inner-Sakura. The pesky demon in her head gave her so much strength. Without inner-Sakura, Itachi could easily break the mental barricade that divided her knowledge of Konoha from her consciousness. He would kill her. She was going to die.

Not only that, but inner-Sakura was there for protection. She did the dirty work. Anything Sakura couldn't handle, inner-Sakura was there to take over. Itachi had effectively removed her final and best defense. Jade eyes peered from behind wet lashes as the two Akatsuki members stared at her incredulously.

"It's alright, Sakura-san. He sealed her away so she couldn't hurt us," Tobi said sweetly. Even Deidara was having trouble remaining callous towards the kunoichi. She just looked so _pitiful_.

"Calm down, yeah. Everything's going to be fine," he said, leaning over her. His hands went into his pouch, but instead of pulling out clay, he pulled out a vial. He grabbed Sakura's wrists –which now featured four bracelets on each wrist to contain her chakra – and removed them from her hair. Tilting her chin back, Deidara uncapped the solution and poured it down her throat. "Sleep more, yeah."

Exhaustion immediately hit her as her stomach turned into warm mush. She felt Deidara's strong hands behind her neck as he guided her back down into bed. _When did the Akatsuki get so damn nice? _Was the last conscious thought that crossed her mind as sleep took her once again.

When Sakura awoke, she didn't know what time of day it was. There were no windows in this room either. Slowly, she began to move her body parts to make sure they were all there and still functioning. Attempting to ignore the silent panic that was creeping within her as she once again realized inner-Sakura wasn't there, she shifted so her legs were now hanging off the futon. She hoisted herself up into a sitting position.

Her head felt heavy and light all at the same time. Like she hadn't slept in days and then rested for only a few minutes. Twitching her toes, she determined she could bear weight. _You can do this, Haruno_. She told herself. Pain struck her heart when there was no inner-Sakura in the back of her mind, yelling "Sharanno!"

It was as if someone had taken her twin sister and effectively shoved her behind a wall. Sakura could _feel_ inner-Sakura there, but she could not release her nor hear her. She groaned as she placed weight on her legs. Nothing _hurt_, but everything was uncomfortable. _What'd he give me_? She wondered to herself. She could remember nothing of the substance Deidara had slid down her throat except it felt warm within her and it was thick. _Sleeping serum? _It was the only thing she could think of that had that effect on a person.

She made one lap around the room before she realized there was a note pinned to her door. 'Come to the kitchen when you wake up. It's right down the hall to your left. No, we won't kill you.'

Sakura was confused. Itachi kept such a tight seal on her room and body that she had only been from her room to the healing room in the last home they were in. Tentatively, Sakura opened the door to find she was in a dimly lit stone hallway. She could hear the sound of voices coming from said kitchen at the end of the hall.

One step at a time, she moved slowly to the room. There was no door on it and fairly quickly, Tobi and Deidara came into view. There was a window in this room, telling Sakura that it was only early morning.

"Hey, you're awake!" Deidara exclaimed when her presence appeared in the door frame. "We thought you were dead, yeah. Sleeping serum doesn't usually last twelve hours."

So _it was_ sleeping serum. Secretly, she thanked Deidara. It had been what she'd needed to gain her head. "When inner-Sakura makes an appearance, it effectively drains my chakra," Sakura explained quietly.

"We figured it must have been some sort of exhaustion. Feeling better now, yeah?" Deidara asked. Sakura nodded. "Good, now I have a proposition for you. Come in and sit down."

Sakura perked a bit – he had a proposition? She walked warily to the table, and took the seat on the furthest end from where Deidara and Tobi were sitting. She waited quietly for an explanation, but to her surprise, Tobi began serving her tea, a breakfast roll, and some rice.

"Thank you," Sakura murmured as she slowly began eating. As she looked back up at Deidara, she realized he was staring at her, regarding her silently. It wasn't too dissimilar from what Itachi did to her all the time, and it made her temper prick. Thinking about the Uchiha still got her blood boiling. Those damned scrolls.

"Like I said," Deidara muttered after staring at the girl for a few moments. "I have a proposition. First, though, I need to know how long you're going to be with us if you intend on healing Itachi-san's eyes to the fullest."

Sakura took another bite as she thought. That was a difficult question to answer. Honestly, she was hoping Naruto and Kakashi would be retrieving her before that, but they couldn't know that. So she decided to be honest with the shinobi in front of her – she'd promised Itachi she would be, anyway. Additionally, at this moment, she liked Deidara leaps and bounds more than she liked Itachi Uchiha.

"It depends," she whispered. "The minimum will be two months. I can't give you a maximum. It depends on how his body reacts."

"That's what I thought, yeah," Deidara replied. Apparently, this was the right answer to his question because his face lightened considerably. "Back to my proposition. If you allow me to smear explosive tracking clay on you, you'll gain a considerable amount of freedom. We've already discussed it with our leader, and he's blessed it. We have no intention of that last debacle happening again."

Sakura was shocked and hadn't seen that one coming at all. "Explosive tracking clay?" she simply repeated as a question.

Deidara nodded his head. "If I feel you run away or try to tamper with it or do anything we don't want you to do, _boom_, you become one of my works of art."

His face broke into such a wide grin that Sakura began to think that Deidara may actually want her to run away or mess up. That way he could blow her up. "I think some on your neck and each ankle would do. Plus, you'll have to keep your chakra wristlets and you also won't be allowed out of your room at night. However, during the day, you'll be allowed to walk around the compound and do some other things so you won't get so crazy," he continued, waving his hands around at her.

Sakura thought for a moment. She had nothing to lose now, did she? If Kakashi and Naruto came to rescue her, she could easily disable it or remove it. Until then, she decided, it was best she keep herself on the Akatsuki's good side. "Alright, I'll do it."

X

"Why are we here?" Itachi asked. Kisame grunted in response. Less than an hour away from their base in Rock Country, and Kisame had stated that he needed to pick something up from the market.

"Pain-sama asked me to get something for Haruno-san," Kisame replied after a moment of looking around for the wardrobe shop. "Deidara-san ordered her some clothes so that she wasn't walking around in your old jounin outfits. Also, Pain-sama wants her to have an Akatsuki robe."

"Why?" Itachi asked, irritation coursing through him. Once he had captured the kunoichi, Pain had decided that there were plans in the works for Haruno Sakura. He told Itachi that the girl could heal his eyes, but the entire clan would be working on a covert operation to get the girl to join the Akatsuki.

"For when we travel," Kisame replied gruffly. He was clearly lost in the market as he could never remember where the clothing shop was.

Itachi thought this very foolish of their leader to expect Sakura to join them. The kunoichi had in no way defected from the village. The only thing she'd even done against the rules was her bargain with him, anyway. That was hardly a reason for punishment in Konoha as it was to protect Hatake. Plus, he surmised that the girl probably felt just a fierce of a loyalty to her village as she did her kyuubi friend.

The chances of her joining the Akatsuki? Slim to none at best, he decided. Then, he'd have to kill her.

His mind wandered back to the way she looked at him when she'd taken control of her body. The utter confusion and sadness there had stuck with him as he traveled with Kisame for the past week. Her glistening jade eyes were trusting in him when he'd entered her mind. They were the same glistening eyes that a five-year-old Sasuke had adorned the night Itachi killed their family. His insides knotted in a horrible guilt and Itachi pulled himself out of his thoughts abruptly.

Kisame had led them to a small clothing shop. "We have an order for Deidara."

The elderly woman behind the counter smiled and nodded. She had been working for Pain for years, developing and making Akatsuki regalia. Pain had one in every country so they could replace anything that was lost during missions or battle.

"Ah, yes, I remember this girl. She was so sweet," the elderly woman commented.

Itachi bristled, and he noticed Kisame stiffen. "The girl was with them?" Itachi asked quietly.

"Ah, yes. She gave me her measurements. She and Deidara-san were very friendly. Her robe, hat, and clothes are ready," the woman said.

They paid the woman and walked out of the town quickly. Once they were out of the borders and on their way to the base, Kisame turned to Itachi. He asked, "They'd have to have had a reason to let her out, right?"

"Hn," Itachi replied coolly. Inwardly, though, he was boiling. What stupid fools were Deidara and Tobi if they were going to allow a hostage to walk around a market, for kami's sake?

Itachi was shoving down the idea of slitting Deidara's throat when he entered the kitchen. Clearly, he was interrupting some sort of joke as all _three _of them were in the middle of laughing hysterically. The feeling of slitting Deidara's throat (he had been in charge of this, after all) only resurfaced at what he saw. "Deidara," he bit out roughly. "Why is the hostage in the kitchen and not sealed in her room? Especially after what happened?"

The trio turned to look at Itachi. Sakura had been making tea while Deidara and Tobi were slumped in their chairs at the table. Deidara perked a bit when he saw Itachi and Kisame enter. "Pain-sama told me it was fine, yeah. I planted explosive chakra on her neck and ankles. She isn't going anywhere."

"So you tested it out on the market?" Kisame asked disapprovingly as he moved past Itachi into the kitchen. He set the bag he had down on the table.

"We've been here a whole damned week without you guys. She was fine for three days before we went to the market," Deidara replied wryly at the feeling of being reprimanded.

"We should stop talking about Sakura like she isn't here," Sakura commented under her breath bitterly. _Men_. She thought. The pang of realization was less sharp when she'd realized inner-Sakura hadn't made a comment about their attitudes. It was getting easier to deal with. She took a deep breath in, and let it out. "Would either of you like tea?"

"Yes, please," Kisame replied politely, a little too politely, as Sakura poured him a glass.

Itachi grasped that she hadn't even looked in his direction since they'd arrived. Obviously, he was receiving the cold shoulder for what he'd done just prior to their move. Sakura looked up and raised a brow, asking him if he'd like tea again in a silent manner.

"No."

"Fine," she huffed. She sat down at the table next to Deidara.

"Sakura-san is a good cook," Tobi commented, "Better than Kisame-san or Deidara-senpai."

"I cook fine, yeah," Deidara retorted, irritation apparent.

Sakura laughed. "I'm not even that good!"

_Hostages shouldn't laugh_. Itachi remarked to himself. He moved past the group and walked into the hallway that held the sleeping quarters. His room was always the second door on the left, and as he walked in he realized it was still so.

The futon wasn't that bad and the rooms here were bigger, so he stretched out to enjoy his slumber. It didn't happen, though. Kisame, Deidara, Tobi, and Sakura were still in the kitchen enjoying their tea. It was only midafternoon, so Itachi couldn't even tell them to quiet the ruckus.

Technically, since Sakura was still his prisoner, he could confine her and make her stay in her room, miserable. He supposed that would be going against Pain's orders to make the girl _want_ to stay with the Akatsuki. Therefore, he allowed the jovial exchange to continue.

A grumbling in his stomach and the wonderful smell of tempura was what told Itachi it was time for dinner. As he made his way back to the kitchen, he realized the laughing hadn't stopped. Silently, he took his seat between Kisame and Tobi at the circular table.

Sakura was serving the meal, just as his mother had once done for him. Sakura's jingle of a laugh was very distinctive, especially in a house full of gruff men.

After she sat, everyone began eating. Sakura was having trouble concentrating, though. Internally, she was a mess. She'd tried the entire time to keep laughing and stay upbeat. However, it was more difficult in practice due to the fact that she was technically a _hostage_ in a house full of S-class criminals. A few of her laughs were genuine – such as when Tobi accidentally hit Deidara, or Deidara made a crack about Kisame. The rest, though, was fake. She was trying to stay calm and happy as not to make her captors confine her once again.

Subconsciously Sakura began to rub the _eight_ bracelets on her wrists. Really? Eight? Two kept her in line with just Itachi. Now, she was featuring two chakra constraints from each member of the household. _Even Naruto couldn't break out of these with his chakra_. She thought.

"Are you feeling alright, Sakura-san?" Tobi asked. "You haven't eaten."

Sakura snapped back into reality, taking in the entire kitchen. Uchiha Itachi was glaring at her from his meal. She shot him a look – man oh man was she still pissed at him. Their first healing session back would be a little tense, she decided. Every bone in her body had the intention of confronting him with the scrolls. Those damned scrolls.

"I'm fine, Tobi-san. Thank you for your concern," Sakura replied quietly. Tobi simply nodded. The rest of the meal was finished in relative silence.

Itachi stood quickly once his meal was complete. "We'll be beginning the healing sessions again tomorrow at noon. Understood?"

"Hn," Sakura replied. Yes, she was mocking him and the way he replied. No, she didn't care at the moment. Every fiber in her being was reeling at the man before her.

Instead of slitting her throat like he urged to do, Itachi walked away silently.

X

"Lay down," she commanded. There had been no small talk or warming up to each other like there had been before. She'd entered the room, unrolled her research, and prepared for the healing session. Itachi obeyed silently, "Eyes," she said concisely.

He closed his eyes. Her soft hands were on his eyes in a matter of seconds and her healing chakra was pulsating into them. Her brow furrowed in exasperation – they'd gotten _worse_. The urge to hit him over the head over and over flushed within her. If not for the fact that she would die very quickly, she would have considered the idea more seriously.

Their position didn't change for more than twenty minutes. She pulled her hands back and began writing silently on the scroll in front of her. Itachi opened his eyes. He had deactivated his Sharingan for this healing session. He allowed a side-glance at the kunoichi and he notes she was scowling.

"Is something wrong?" he asked coolly.

"Yes," she replied shortly.

"Hm?" he goaded.

"You need to rest your eyes more. They are worse than the last time I looked at them," she remarked, her eyes never leaving the scroll.

"Having to put someone in my genjutsu will do that, Sakura-san," he commented. His voice stayed even and he ran a hand subconsciously through his ponytail. Sakura shot a glare up at him.

"That was your fault," she hissed. Itachi quirked a brow at her – a flash of amusement crossing his eyes. Discomfiting the woman was his goal from the very start of this particular healing session. It seemed to be working.

"I apologize for not knowing that you were schizophrenic," he intoned. Sakura's fist was headed straight toward his face, but he caught it easily. Her temper was not something to mess with – he knew that – but he also knew she had access to very little chakra.

He regarded her silently as he watched her face contort in frustration, confusion, anger, and then a little panic. Yanking her fist back, she muttered something to herself. Then, she said it louder. "I'm not schizophrenic. You should have never showed me those scrolls. In fact, you shouldn't even have them!"

"The Akatsuki must study the villages that are after its members, Sakura-san" Itachi replied.

"There was no need to show me those except for your own sick pleasure," she spat back, pulling herself up so she was standing, looming over him.

Now, though, instead of his old jounin attire, she was wearing what she'd ordered from the clothes maker. A black tunic with red stitching, a red skirt that was slit in several different places and bandages down to her knees made up her new attire. It was difficult for Itachi to take the girl seriously as he found himself appreciating the curves of her body.

His jounin outfit had done her no justice, and he couldn't appraise her properly when she'd been burned badly by Deidara's blasts. Coupled with bright pink hair, jade eyes, and a supple feminine physique, the girl in front of him was very attractive.

"Ugh! What're you staring at?" she screeched. Itachi's onyx eyes darted to hers and they locked in a heated staring competition. He felt no need to answer the question, but he went back to what they were talking about before.

"Did the scrolls disturb you? Did it bother you to find out that your beloved Konoha was capable of ordering such things?" he asked. He could see the blood rising to her cheeks. Her fist came down on the table and cracked it into six or seven pieces. She hadn't even used any chakra.

"Dammit!" she yelled. "All of those classified ANBU missions are to remain classified. I don't want to know about them. I don't want to know about what my friends and mentors were ordered to do!"

"Did you read the one about Hatake Kakashi?" Itachi asked, tilting his head. He was gaining some sort of sick joy watching the girl lose her temper. She kicked the wall, making pieces of stone fly out. "I believe it was that mission that made him quit ANBU."

Sakura stopped and turned to face the still-sitting Uchiha. Tears began to roll down her face. "He was forced to murder a seven-year-old boy because it was his mission. Of course it ended his career. Most of those missions in those scrolls should have ended careers. Inuzuka Hana-"she said, gulping. She was no longer able to finish her thoughts out loud. Inwardly, she finished, _had to murder a group of Wave Genin in cold blood for no apparent reason other than to show power_.

Itachi hadn't intended on making her cry – only on getting her mad. Those teary jade eyes always looked so sad, desperate, yet trusting up at him…just like Sasuke's had on that faithful night. He inwardly cursed himself for even bringing the conversation up. Clearly, speaking with the kunoichi only brought up painful feelings for the Uchiha as well.

"Perhaps showing you those scrolls was a mistake," he stated quietly. Sakura had slumped to the floor in exhaustion, but now her puffy emerald eyes were looking into his black ones.

"Oh," she replied quietly, not being able to think of anything else to say.

"We will rest for a few minutes and then continue healing?" he asked. Sakura nodded. "Tea?" he asked. All he got in return was another lifeless nod.

X

"You ask her."

"No."

"It's your mission, yeah!"

Sakura awoke sleepily at the sound of a rushed, whispered conversation outside of her bedroom door. She was sealed in for the evening, so she could not investigate further. Instead, she waited for the Akatsuki to walk in and face her. Stretching, she yawned and sat up so she would be prepared for whoever walked through that door.

"It's late, let's ask her tomorrow," a voice said. That was Kisame.

"We must confirm now. Pain-sama is waiting," another intoned flatly. That was Itachi, obviously.

"So why do I have to ask her, yeah?" Deidara whispered in a rushed tone.

"Sakura-san likes Deidara-san best," the fourth and final voice commented.

When the chakra seals unlocked and the group entered her room silently, Sakura realized that she was in nothing but her standard issue- ninja undergarments to sleep in. She had bought several pairs the other day while out shopping. She supposed if she was going to be with them for two months, she might as well have fresh underwear.

A bit of heat rose to her cheeks as she realized that all eyes in the room were trained on her form. "What?" she bit out, flushing from the attention – stupid horny males who only satiated their sexual desires when they could.

"I told you we should have waited," Kisame muttered knowingly.

"Ask her, Deidara-senpai," Tobi goaded from somewhere behind Kisame.

"Just ask!" Sakura exclaimed, wanting to return to her sleep. It had been a long day of emotional outbursts and healing with the Uchiha.

"Sakura-san, will you help us out, yeah, with a mission?"

* * *

AN: Please continue on to the story that is considerably better written then this, beginning in chapter 5, but much more so in 6 and 7.


	5. Lively Debate

AN: So I find this chapter boring, to my horror, so I'm sorry. However, I also find it necessary. It's going to set up the next few chapters very well, I think. Hopefully, since tomorrow is my day off, I'll update again very soon. I just finished The Protectors, so this is now my main focus. However, the sequel to the Protectors, The Blue-jays, will be up very soon.

Thank you to those who have reviewed. To my great shock many of you are now threatening to guess the entire story before I write it. It shows my lack of originality, but I hope to fix that. I'm thinking of different stuff I can do with it to make it different. One thing will be inner-Sakura. Yes, she will be making a comeback.

Please review. Even if you ruin my fun, I love them!

Revisions 6/29/13

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 5: Lively Debate**

* * *

"_The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum..." _

― _Noam Chomsky, The Common Good_

* * *

"A mission?" Sakura asked. Perhaps she was still groggy from her deep slumber, and the fact that four members of the Akatsuki had just barged into her room in the middle of the night was confusing her greatly. Why would they want her to help on a mission? She was a hostage, and only here to serve one purpose: heal the blinding eyes of Uchiha Itachi. Right? Or was something else going on here beyond what she knew? Her eyes thinned suspiciously at the group of four men in front of her.

"Yes," Itachi replied. Sakura waited for more information from the Uchiha, but he just stared at her silently. Then, she realized that he wasn't staring at her eyes. Sakura huffed again, losing her patience with the men quickly, and fixed the most glowering stare she could at them.

Itachi tilted his head at her ever so slightly. He could see her face reddening at the attention she was getting – especially since she was only in her undergarments.

"I thought capturing the jinchuriki was your mission?" Sakura asked quietly.

"That is our primary mission. However, we complete side missions in order to fund the organization," Itachi replied, trying not to give too much away. She was an outsider, after all.

He couldn't seem to stop looking at the kunoichi everywhere _besides_ her face. He found the slender curve of her cleavage that her arms created when she crossed them enticing. He could appreciate the toned nature of her flat stomach, but was able to make out the arc that creased just above her hips showing her natural hour-glass shape. He mentally shook himself – it wasn't very appropriate to be thinking about a hostage like that, especially since he would probably have to kill her at some point.

Unless, Pain's stupid plan did pan out. If Sakura did end up joining the Akatsuki, what would happen then? Perhaps he then could show the kunoichi his appreciation for her body. It would be easier than having to find a few willing females in every town they came across. Once again, he rid himself of the idea – the girl was clearly loyal, completely and totally, to Konoha. It showed in the very reason _why_ she was here. She'd given herself up to protect Kakashi, which was why she was here in the first place.

Sakura seemed to notice his attention; then again, she was also noticing the attentions of the other men in the room as well. "Will you guys quit staring?!"

Itachi _almost_ felt embarrassed, but instead of continuing his perusal, he looked in her eyes. Eyes that were very frustrated and he felt a smirk cross his lips from her frustration. Deidara _was_ embarrassed, though, as he was the most blatant party here. He had practically been drooling over the female.

"Sakura-san is very pretty," Tobi commented. Deidara smacked him in the shoulder for his insolence. What little was left of Sakura's patience was now gone and her entire face turned an angry shade of red.

"Will you guys leave so I can put on clothes?" she hissed. "Then we'll discuss this further?"

"Yes," Kisame said gruffly. He'd been the only one who hadn't even thought of the kunoichi that way when they'd enter the room. Although no one could really tell if Tobi was staring, but by his earlier comment of how pretty she way, he very well could have been. He turned and began shoving everyone out of the room, except for Itachi, who left of his own will.

Sakura dressed quickly, trying to get the discomfiture that was present in her face to go away. Once she'd pulled on Itachi's jounin clothes, which she'd kept for pajamas (when it wasn't too hot), she yanked the door open. The group of men was standing outside of her door, waiting for her. "Kitchen," she bit out as she shoved passed them.

Once they were all seated at the table, she took a deep breath in and out. "Now, what do you want?"

"I believe we've already told you," Itachi remarked.

Sakura's eyes thinned as she glared at the Uchiha, "You're the one asking for something here, so it's best you let someone else do the talking. I still don't like you!"

"Aa," he replied, his eyebrows rising. She flinched and seriously considered whipping the salt shaker that was in the middle of the table at his head.

"Sakura-san," Kisame intoned, "We are being sent on a mission that requires a kunoichi. A few months ago, we retrieved a young female from a group of gang members that had kidnapped the girl. They planned to sell her to a drug and sex trafficking ring."

Sakura snorted, "You guys played the heroes?"

"We play whoever our employer wants us to play, yeah," Deidara said. He took over the explanation, "Anyway, now the father of that girl wants the captor dead. He's heavily guarded but we know he likes two things, yeah, booze and women."

"Oh," Sakura replied quietly. She was a little surprised.

Kisame continued, "Yes. The employer asked for us specifically since we accomplished his task last time. However, we are short a kunoichi to infiltrate his home. The target is throwing a party in two days' time, and we are asking you to go in as the undercover kunoichi. Last time we had a mission like this…"

"What?" she asked, now genuinely curious once Kisame had trailed off. Quickly, she became aware of the furious blush spreading across Deidara's face. That long blonde hair and thin frame of his body was almost feminine, wasn't it? She choked out a laugh and pointed at the explosion-nin, "You had to disguise yourself as a girl, didn't you!?"

"You just shut up before I make you go boom!" Deidara yelled, pointing a finger back at the girl. Her eyes just brightened as she giggled, genuinely giggled, at the thought of Deidara in a dress. Then, her laugh intensified at the immaturity of Deidara's statement 'make you go boom.' After snorting once or twice, she stopped.

Then, she began to think about it. Her first response was to help. It didn't seem all that dangerous – she had been on worse (like tracking and fighting the Akatsuki) – and the idea being back in the field seemed like fun. Also, she'd be helping in taking down what sounded like a really sleazy guy. It's been weeks since she'd been on a mission and months since she'd been on a semi-seduction mission such as this.

On the other hand, she couldn't, could she? That would be helping a group of S-class criminals' financial gain. That would be traitorous to her village. The guilt that was weighing on her for agreeing to help Itachi was already hard enough to deal with. The thought helping them more? That was too much. When she returned to Konoha – if she returned (seeing that her death by an Akatsuki was pretty eminent at this point) – she would have to tell them that she went on this mission. Trouble was already waiting for her when she got back, and she didn't need more.

Itachi seemed to anticipate this, so before she could respond, he asked monotonously, "Would you like to know who the target is before you give an answer?"

Sakura nodded, and Itachi pulled out a small black book from his pocket that held the Konoha symbol on the front. In small white letters, her name was spelled out the cover. It was her bingo book. He'd gone through her stuff. Brows furrowing automatically, she glared at the Uchiha, who only allowed an amused smirk to cross his lips very briefly.

"You took my bingo book?" she hissed. "You went through my stuff?"

"Of course," he replied obviously. He opened the book to a certain page, briefly stopping on his own to give a short glance at his picture. Handing the book to Sakura, she gasped.

"We're going after Noboru Tanaka?" she wheezed out. "He's no normal sex and drug trafficker; he is _the _sex and drug trafficker. He is notorious for having a group of A and S-class criminals guard him, and from what I've seen, he's no slouch with a katana either."

"From what you've seen?" Itachi asked, genuinely interested. Although he wished he hadn't asked for Sakura's face turned very dark at a memory that had soaked into her mind.

"I killed his boss before he got the job as head gangster," she said quietly, face paling slightly. "It was an infiltration and espionage mission that went wrong."

Everyone went very quiet at the implication – it was an _infiltration_ mission from her. That meant that she'd had to disguise herself as something. Itachi felt angry – Konoha had done it again. Gone and made a kunoichi prostitute herself for the sake of information. They'd always been good at finding the absolute _worst_ missions to send their shinobi on. However, Itachi knew first hand, that was the life of a shinobi. That's what they signed up for when they completed the academy and continued to weave their way through the ranks.

However, Sakura was the same age as her brother. That meant she was only 18, maybe 19, but he doubted it. Itachi also knew that Tanaka's boss had been killed over two years ago. That meant that she had been 16 at the oldest when she went on an espionage mission. Konoha would not do that. They'd never – especially Tsunade – send a 16 year old out for that mission. As the thoughts filled him, he realized they weren't likely to send any kunoichi on a mission to be a prostitute in that kind of ring.

Sakura seemed to notice the palpable tension, and she regained color instantly with a blush when she'd realized what the men thought. "I went in as a drug dealer from Wave Country," she clarified, but she added quietly, "It was what I _saw_ there that was so terrible. Girls were everywhere – skinny, drugged, and miserable. Breaking them out and killing Tanaka's boss was one of the best missions I think I was every on."

"All the more reason for you to help us, kid," Kisame said, lightening the mood a bit. The tension that had filled the room when Sakura had given them incomplete information was quickly wiped out.

However, Sakura still wasn't sure. By killing the A-class sex and drug trafficker, she would be technically doing a duty to Konoha. He was listed as 'Kill on Sight' in the bingo book. Additionally, she would be in a room full of S and A-class criminals. Perhaps she could gather intelligence on them or even take some of them out if she went.

Biting her lip nervously and sighing, she crossed her arms over her chest slowly. This was truly a conundrum. She looked at the expectant faces of the men in front of her. "What's in it for me?" she asked then.

This seemed to surprise them a bit. Itachi raised one brow at her, questioning what she meant. "Remember the day I offered to heal your eyes, Itachi-san? What did I say when you told me I'd be giving you information on Naruto?"

"Aa," he said when what she meant came to mind. "A one to one deal?"

"Yes," Sakura replied. Itachi's lips tugged into a subtle smile. He had been expecting this.

"Come with me," he ordered, and stood from his chair. Sakura obeyed, and followed him to the last door of the hallway. He opened it to reveal an eerily dark staircase. Sakura felt Deidara and the others close behind her as they walked slowly down the staircase, Itachi leading the way.

After flicking the lights on, Sakura took in what was down that creepy staircase, and she gasped. It was a very, very large underground room that was set up as a training ground. It was easily the size of the entire house they were staying at. The walls were a hard, white concrete and the floor was covered in sand. On far end, there was a small grove of trees (how did they grow underground?) and a small pool of water. These were for wood and water jutsu, respectively, of course.

There were also poles for training, and targets that looked like they were hooked up to a system that would allow them to move. That was nothing compared to the wall behind them. In the span of thirty feet or so, there were _hundreds_ of weapons. Kunai, shuriken, katana, senbon, swords, and more that Sakura couldn't even name were carefully placed on the wall.

Deidara snorted at the kunoichi's awestruck reaction to the underground facility. Her mouth hung slack as she took in the entire picture. "Surprised, Sakura-san?" he asked playfully. She simply nodded, but then she turned to Itachi.

"So what's your offer?" she asked, now suddenly much more willing to consider the mission.

"Two hours every day you're not healing me," Itachi replied quietly. "Free range. We'll just be checking to make sure all the weapons are here when you leave."

The reaction the kunoichi had not failed to amuse him greatly. It was similar to a face Sasuke had made when he'd been caught watching one of Itachi's ANBU training sessions. The younger Uchiha had been completely overwhelmed by the dexterity and finesse the ANBU were showing. Sasuke had said that it was nothing he'd ever imagined.

A twinge of guilt that appeared so suddenly almost made Itachi flinch outwardly, but luckily he had been able to subdue it before his body jerked. Thoughts of Sasuke always brought on this guilt – nothing had gone according to plan with him. When Itachi had been _forced_ to annihilate his entire clan, the only solace he found was that one day Sasuke would kill him.

Itachi was always a masterful tactician. He planned for almost any scenario that could occur during a mission. There had been very few occasions where an outcome occurred that Itachi hadn't planned for. He hadn't anticipated Sakura's offer. However, that was nothing compared to the shock that had smashed into him like a freight train when he'd learned that Sasuke had defected from Konoha to join Orochimaru as his apprentice.

_That _had complete shocked, disoriented, and _horrified_ him. With the exception of the Third Hokage and the Konoha council, there was no one in this world that Itachi hated more than Orochimaru. Instantly, he recalled his own fight with the sannin. It had been bloody, messy, but ultimately successful for Itachi. Before Orochimaru's leave from the Akatsuki, he'd tried to take Itachi's body for his vessel. Once Itachi had deterred him, he went for Sasuke. A silent chill ran up his spine.

"Alright," Sakura said suddenly, snapping his thoughts back to the reality around him. He was in Earth Country somewhere, with Deidara, Tobi, Kisame, and Sakura. Itachi jerked his head so that his red eyes met hers. She shied away slightly at the sudden, intense gaze. "I agree to your terms under the conditions that I won't have to…become intimate with Tanaka. Past what is…acceptable I mean."

Itachi just stared at her a little confused, but really he was just trying to regain focus. Sakura's face blushed a little further under his penetrating gaze. "I mean I just won't sleep with him, okay?" Sakura elaborated, trying to defer the stare away from her.

"Of course," he finally managed to reply. Sakura released a breath she'd been holding, and she looked slightly more relaxed. The group began to walk slowly up the stairs and filed back into the kitchen slowly. The sun was now beginning to peak into the kitchen, and Sakura sighed, realizing she probably wouldn't be going back to bed tonight.

"So what kind of party will we be going to, and what's our cover?" Sakura asked, now getting slightly excited at the thought of the mission. Not only was she doing an infiltration mission (one of her favorites that she rarely got to do), but she was taking down at least one of Konoha's most hated thugs. Adrenaline rushed through her at the prospects of it all. She compartmentalized her guilt of helping the Akatsuki into the back of her mind. The benefits outweighed the slight betrayal, she reasoned.

Kisame was making coffee when he said, "You will be working with Deidara and Itachi inside the party. You will be Deidara's sister, Itachi will be Deidara's friend, and Tobi and I will be stationed as surveillance and backup outside. Itachi and Deidara will be acting as sons of noblemen who are looking for a good time. It's supposed to be quite a shin-dig. All glamorous and fancy. They'd notice a shark and a masked fighter for sure."

Sakura snorted. Deidara going to a ritzy party, getting drunk, and looking for prostitutes – sure that was all well and good. But _Itachi?_ Itachi Uchiha – the most stoic, intense, intimidating individual she'd ever met. He couldn't even imagine him taking a drink, much less acting as the son of a nobleman who wanted a good time. Then, she remembered he had once been the son of a nobleman.

In fact, Itachi could be quite polite, if he wanted. She'd never seen it outright, but there were subtle hints in the way he would treat her when they were alone together. He always asked if she needed tea, water, or food, and always made sure she was comfortable during their healing sessions.

Itachi looked at her a little too intensely after her snort. Was she questioning his ability to successfully complete a mission? This was easy compared to other things. It had been years since he'd really had to be proper, but the lessons his mother taught him years ago were so engrained in him that he could properly greet someone in his sleep. A pang of guilt ran through his body when he thought of his mother. Then, he shook it down.

"Is there something you'd like to say, Sakura-san?" he asked coolly. Sakura turned to him and looked at him dead in the eyes, as if deciding something, and then shook her head 'no.'

Then, she seemed to think for another moment. "Wait, there is something. I'll need a kimono if I'll be going to the party. And makeup and other feminine things if I'm going to pass off as slightly decent."

"Aa," Itachi replied. Now that he thought of it, he had no formalwear to speak of. As far as he knew, Deidara didn't either. "We'll have to go to the market today then."

"Tobi needs new boots and new weapons," Tobi said happily.

"We also need to hit the food market, yeah. We're low on everything," Deidara added.

"Well let's just make this a fun family outing," Kisame added sarcastically. "I need to get some supplies as well. We also need new headsets for this mission so we can stay in contact."

X

That's how Sakura found herself here, in the middle of an Earth Country market with over half of the Akatsuki. They'd all split up, with the exception of her and Itachi. When she suggested she go shopping by herself, he'd almost laughed and the sheer amusement of her verbal and mental slip up made her want to smack him. It was a feeling she was beginning to sense more and more often while she was in the presence of the Uchiha. It was then that realized the gravity of what she'd said.

In the little time she was out of the captivity of her room, she seemed to be getting too comfortable because she'd actually thought that she _could_ go off by herself. The second she was, she'd realize that it was her opportunity, and run away.

So she and Itachi first went to the woman's formalwear shop, where she'd picked out a royal purple kimono with a deep blue obi. The purple reminded her of Ino, and a deep pain ran straight through her heart. Missing her friends while she was with the Akatsuki was not uncommon for her, but the intensity of this pain was so complete that she clenched her heart a bit in the changing room.

She sucked a deep breath in as she steadied herself with one hand on the short chair in the room. Forcing the emotion back, she stepped from the room. Itachi was sitting just outside of the changing room door, and he turned to look at her.

Breathtaking. He shoved the word to the back of his mind the instant it came up – how uncharacteristic of him indeed. But, _she was_ breathtaking in the kimono. The deep purple and blue contrasted with her fair skin but complimented her pink hair and cool emerald eyes. He felt another twinge deep within his chest. To his discontentment, it wasn't guilt. It was something else buried deep within him that he didn't think he'd ever encountered before.

He was already aware of his physical attraction to the kunoichi. It was becoming more difficult to deny this with each passing day. You don't spend hours with someone locked in a room, with said person touching your most deadly weapon (he inwardly smirked at that last bit – Kisame would have laughed if he'd ever said it aloud 'touching your most deadly weapon'), and not form a physical attraction.

He was a warm blooded 23-year-old. Physical attraction was what you got with 23-year-old males, no matter how controlled they are. Even Deidara was affected by the girl, so Itachi could not hold himself totally culpable these feelings. At least he wasn't the only one.

However, this was different. There was a fondness for the kunoichi that had snuck up within him that he was now forcing with all his might back down. Her fiery personality, blatant emotions, and clear distaste for anything that threatened her _perfect_ home village were all very amusing to Itachi. However, now physical attraction and amusement was forming into something else.

The others were feeling it too – Deidara seemed to even enjoy the kunoichi, Kisame found her relatively pleasant and fun to be around, and Tobi wasn't complaining (not that he ever complained). Itachi allowed the thought to cross his mind, knowing he'd regret it – maybe she would join the Akatsuki. If she did, Itachi would not mind. No, he may even enjoy her presence if it became more relaxed, personable, and permanent. As quickly as he had permitted the thought to come, he shook it off easily.

Sakura felt herself trembling a little as Itachi just stared at her. Clearly deep in thought, she just looked at herself in the mirror and she was able to see him staring at her in the reflection of the mirror. It wasn't angry, just intense.

"You think this will be alright?" she finally asked timidly. Sakura could see Itachi come back into his eyes. He'd really been thinking of something, hadn't he? Itachi only inclined his head stiffly at her and paid for the kimono. Sakura couldn't tell if she was just imagining things, but he almost seemed uncomfortable. She shrugged inwardly – it was no skin off her back if he couldn't look at a girl without discomfiting himself.

Then, they went to the men's formalwear shop. It was much smaller, but just as nice. Itachi quickly found a suitable suit for the occasion. After stopping by the beauty supply shop and feminine apparel shop (Sakura had gone in there by herself), Sakura realized that there were still several hours before they were meant to meet up with the others.

So, since fall was fast approaching, she decided to do some birthday shopping for a very special blond who was surely missing her back home. Itachi could just follow her around for all she cared. She went from stall to stall, enjoying each trinket happily as she poked around to look at things. It was a small shinobi souvenir shop where she found Naruto's present.

"I think Naruto would like this," Sakura stated calmly, eyeing the little figurine. It was a ceramic, almost cartoonish, depiction of a slug, snake, and toad. It represented the three sannin. The plaque depicting the word 'Family' was almost too much to take.

"Hm," Itachi replied coolly.

"I had money with me when you captured me. Where is it?" Sakura asked. Itachi quietly pulled the small black money purse from his pack and placed it in her hands. She muttered a 'thanks' and bought the little figurine along with the cost of having it wrapped.

"Naruto's birthday is coming up," she said fondly as the shop manager handed her the package. She had also requested to have the Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Haruno family insignias painted on the back. If Sasuke saw this, he would get the irony immediately, but she knew that Naruto would be fond of the gift. She knew he would only see the primary meaning of the gift – that they were all still family. Even though she had resolutely decided – after spending a few weeks in one of Orochimaru's bases, after Sasuke had tried to kill her more than once – that she would kill him if need be. They were still family, and she would try her hardest to make sure she was never put into that position.

"How will you give this to him?" Itachi inquired.

"I'll send it when we're done with the mission," Sakura replied emphatically, not meeting his eye. They were walking through town at a leisurely pace. Sakura and Itachi already had their outfits for the mission, yet it was still hours until they needed to meet up with the others. They passed a small movie theater that was playing a foreign film from Bird Country. "Eh, you want to go see a movie?" she asked.

"I'm not wasting Akatsuki funds on a movie," Itachi replied smoothly.

"Psh," Sakura replied, an evil glint forming in her eyes as she gave Itachi a sidelong glance. "Who said we would pay for it?"

"Pray tell, what are you talking about?" he replied icily.

"I'm talking about doing something I haven't done since I was thirteen, with your little brother, might I add," she replied mischievously. Suddenly, she grabbed his arm and forced him into the alleyway next to the theater. "Being a shinobi has to be fun sometimes, right?" she asked as she began to scale the wall in front of her.

Itachi's thoughts automatically went to Shisui. He and his cousin used to do this all the time – using their skills to sneak into movie theaters. Nostalgia hit him like a brick, and before he could use his impeccable self-control to stop this incredibly immature act, Itachi ran up the wall with the girl. Sakura found a way in through a roof-top hatch, and they snuck into the theater.

Hanging from the ceiling while watching the movie, Itachi studied the girl a little more closely. As she watched the film, Itachi watched Sakura. Feeling his gaze, she turned to him abruptly, confused by his stare. He shrugged noncommittally and faced the movie again. She smiled a real smile. A smile Itachi hadn't seen since she'd joined them at the Akatsuki base. It was almost infectious the way she beamed – her entire face taking shape at the smile. It made the ends of his lips tug up in a smirk.

Since when were prisoners allowed to smile like that?

X

Several hours later, Sakura stood outside of the small town with all of her parcels being carried by Itachi – who was surprisingly a gentleman when it came to these things. Sakura watched as the men pulled their Akatsuki cloaks and hats on automatically. When Itachi inclined his head at her to do the same, she began to dress. It wasn't as automatic for her as she'd only ever done it once – on their way here. They'd purchased the cloak for her so they could travel without anyone recognizing her.

They began at a slow pace, tired from their shopping and eating. It was only a little passed midday, she surmised by the location of the sun in the sky. She had worked on Itachi's eyes the day before, so she didn't think they would have another session today. Perhaps she could get in some training to brush up on her skills before leaving for the mission tomorrow morning. Then again, she thought darkly, if they would be gone for a few days, Itachi may want her to have a session before they left.

Just as they entered a sparse coniferous forest, Itachi stopped suddenly. Sakura had been so wrapped in her thoughts of what weapons she would be training with that she bumped right into his back. He turned his head to give her a look. "Sorry," she grumbled.

However, his gaze intensified a bit, "Stay behind me," he ordered. Sakura tilted her head in confusion, but she soon had her answer.

A lone man was standing dead in their path, only twenty feet ahead. How had she not felt him? Then as the lone man approached, she realized why. He had been masking himself, but there was no mistaking the white shirt and purple braided belt around his narrow waist. Also unforgettable was the creamy skin, dark raven hair, and red, angry eyes that were now glaring at the group.

"Itachi," the young man hissed. Then, he stopped and stared at some point behind his brother. His mouth fell slightly ajar with comprehension as he saw the slightly trembling figure behind the elder Uchiha. Although the chakra was masked and stifled, it was unmistakable. If he had any doubt, it was gone when he saw a tendril of pink hair flip out of her hat when a wind suddenly passed the group. "Sakura?" he said tentatively, still not believing the sight.

Itachi pulled his hat off so he could fully see the man before him. "Sasuke."

* * *

AN: Like I said, a good set-up for what's going to go down in chapters 6-7-8 and maybe even 9. I hope you enjoyed it a little and aren't too mad that there was no action whatsoever.

Please review! :)


	6. Reminds You of Him

AN: Revised 6/29/13

Enjoy and review!

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 6: Reminds You of Him**

* * *

"_I know that's what people say- you'll get over it. I'd say it, too. But I know it's not true. Oh, you'll be happy again, never fear. But you won't forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him." _

― _Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn_

* * *

For perhaps the first time in his life, Sasuke found himself ignoring his brother and staring at the pink-haired leaf kunoichi behind him. "Sakura?" he asked again, disregarding his brother's greeting.

Itachi raised one eyebrow at his brother and sidestepped, allowing Sakura to come into full view. Sakura pulled her hat off of her head to fully face Sasuke, jade eyes glistening with emotion as a mixture of apprehension and fear bubbled deep within her. The first time she sees Sasuke in many months, and she's with his brother.

"What are you doing with _them_?" Sasuke spat, utterly confused and horrified by the sight of his former teammate with his brother and his band of traitors. For a moment it struck her how utterly alike Itachi and Sasuke looked, and it nearly took her breath away. There was something so familial between them that denying their heritage would be absurd. They just looked _so _much alike.

"Calm down, little brother, she is a hostage," Itachi remarked coldly. He lightly and quickly grabbed Sakura's wrists, lifted them, and showed the chakra restraints on her wrists. Sasuke's eyes widened even further.

"You let her go!" he replied harshly.

"No," Itachi responded shortly, raising his eyebrow at his brother again. His demeanor was changing rapidly, and it confused Sakura. Usually Itachi was calm, stoic, and relatively monotonic. Now, his voice was laced with a deadly tenor that reminded her of their first meeting. However, she noticed the amusement that was laced within his voice, as if he was taunting his little brother with every syllable that he uttered.

"She belongs in Konoha!" the younger Uchiha exclaimed.

"As do you," Itachi replied. Sasuke's glare was fully engaged on his brother again, and he looked as if he were about to attack. Itachi stiffened, ever so slightly, in case his brother chose to attack.

Sasuke allowed an animalistic snarl to escape his lips. This certainly hadn't been in the plan; attack and kill Itachi – that was the plan. He had not anticipated his former teammate from Konoha being captured by said brother. Sasuke bit out, "Itachi…"

"Sasuke," Sakura interrupted softly. Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked back down to face the kunoichi. Sakura stepped from around his brother, and turned to him. Holding her wrists up pointedly, she nodded at the chakra restraints. "Just a little," she murmured.

Itachi complied, allowing Sakura some of her chakra. Originally, he was going to say no, but the sparkling jade eyes looked so much like Sasuke's when he'd asked his brother to train with him. Back then, Itachi hadn't thought twice about denying his little brother, but now he was truly regretful that he'd missed that time. Now, there was Sakura, with big, expressive jade eyes asking him for something.

Sakura gave him a shy smile, turned around, and walked slowly towards Sasuke. Sasuke instantly straightened as Sakura approached slowly. Sakura was trying her best to hold the tears back. This was perhaps the least confrontational meeting she'd had with Sasuke since he'd left. The two had met on other occasions where they would battle, but this was the first time she felt like she could approach him.

Pushing green chakra into her hands, she held them up for him to see, and she whispered, "Do your eyes hurt?" Sasuke's jaw went slack and his mouth parted in surprise. Sakura continued, as she got closer, "That's why I'm with your brother. I'm healing his eyes in exchange for him letting Kakashi-sensei out of captivity."

Sakura had reached Sasuke now, and she was holding her chakra filled hands only inches from Sasuke's face. As he leaned in, flesh meeting flesh, Sakura felt one tear fall. "You were captured?" he asked quietly. "You and Kakashi?"

"Yes," she murmured. "But Naruto-kun needs Kakashi-sensei. He can't be alone, so I offered this to your brother so Kakashi would be set free."

They stood in silence for a moment, Sakura giving a brief healing session to Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke's Sharingan wasn't nearly as bad as Itachi's was. Clearly, he allowed his to rest at some point.

"Naruto needs you too. You should leave," Sasuke replied coolly, sounding just like his brother.

"Naruto needs you too. You should go home," Sakura mimicked, the slightest bit of sarcasm inching in her voice. She pulled her hands down slowly, and Sasuke stared at her, this time with onyx eyes. "You need to rest them as much as you can and drink a lot of tea. They won't get so bad then."

Sasuke nodded, slightly in awe at how things had changed since he'd been gone. When he'd left, Sakura was a sniveling, annoying pest that was of no use. Now, she'd just made his eyes feel ten times better. Sure, he knew of her accomplishments during the time that he'd left – her apprenticeship with the Hokage, her new medical and taijutsu, but seeing it up close like this was astonishing.

The Akatsuki were watching the scene unfold in silence. Truthfully, Sasuke's and Sakura's proximity was making Itachi uneasy. He felt there was a possibility that Sasuke may grab Sakura and run for it. That wouldn't matter, for Deidara would simply track her using the clay that was on her neck, but it would be a hassle he didn't need.

"Maybe we should stop this now, Itachi-san," Kisame remarked. Itachi was about to agree when he realized that Sakura was heading back over to them. She bypassed Itachi and went over to Kisame, Deidara, and Tobi. She held her wrists up expectantly.

Looking to Itachi for the go ahead, Kisame met his teammate's eyes. Itachi looked uncertain, so Kisame made the decision himself. Releasing her from her chakra binds, the three Akatsuki looked at her confused. Sakura then turned to Sasuke and began her journey back. This time, Itachi caught her by her wrist lightly. "Sakura," he warned.

Sakura turned to him, biting her lip and she nodded. "Sasuke-kun," she called to him. Sasuke regarded her wordlessly, tilting his head so she knew he was listening. Sakura's voice became shaky and quiet, but was loud enough for everyone to hear, "We came to an agreement about you back home," she choked back a sob, "I give you one chance to return to Konoha. If you don't, then I will kill you."

Silence – only silence permeated throughout the forest. Even Itachi was surprised, but then he felt a pinch of guilt and worry in his heart. If Sakura and Sasuke faced off, who would win? The apprentices of two legendary sannin; the battle would surely be catastrophic if the two chose to do so.

Sasuke's body stiffened, readying himself for an attack, "Who came to this agreement?"

"The rookie 8 and Team Guy. Except for Naruto; he refused. But the rest of us agreed," Sakura replied shakily. Another tear slid down her face. Her voice then became desperate. "So please go home. You can kill your brother later when they come for Naruto. Because they are coming for him and Naruto _needs _you!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. In mock-innocence, he asked, "You don't need me anymore Sakura-chan?"

She shook her head 'no' as she pulled on her shinobi gloves. The Akatsuki had been gracious enough to let her keep those, "That horse is dead and buried, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke allowed his face to creep into a wicked smile that was too much like Orochimaru's. "And you think you can kill me with nothing but your chakra?"

"I don't even need my chakra to kill you," she hissed back. The change in Sakura in the last few seconds was remarkable. She'd gone from almost crying to battle-ready with just a few words between her and Sasuke. Her face was now dangerous as she readied her stance.

"Sakura," Itachi quietly said again, a warning tone laced throughout his voice. Sakura whirled around, dangerous green eyes meeting his red ones. Instantly, her finger was pushing into his chest. Even Sasuke was taken aback by her boldness with his brother.

"Don't you _dare_ interfere. This is Konoha business, and _you _don't get to interfere with Konoha business," she hissed.

Itachi grabbed her wrist harshly, quickly losing patience with the kunoichi. He held her hand ajar in front of him, his gaze never leaving hers. Then, to her surprise, his other hand reached down and began unbuckling his belt. Sliding it off, he placed it roughly in Sakura's hand, "Do not go into battle without weapons, Sakura. And do not try to run away. If you do, we will find you and kill you. Slowly."

Sakura's eyes widened in complete disbelief, but she nodded slowly. Why would he go and give her weapons to use on his little brother? The whole actions was confusing, but she didn't have time to contemplate what was going through his head. Itachi took a step back and jumped into the trees a safe distance away. Kisame, Deidara, and Tobi followed suit, seeming thoroughly surprised by Itachi's decision to allow Sakura and Sasuke to battle. Deidara was the last to disappear, gazing slightly worriedly at the kunoichi.

"Good luck, yeah," he said with a wave. Sakura nodded and gave the slightest of smiles to the blond Akatsuki.

Sakura pulled the belt around her, checking the bags individually. It was set up like a generic Konoha ninja belt would be. _Old habits die hard, I guess_. Sakura thought as she noticed how remarkably similar it was to how she kept her own belt. Her belt, though, held more extensive medical supplies.

Turning to Sasuke, she said hardly, "One last chance Sasuke-kun."

He slowly shook his head and then attacked. Sakura blocked his hand-to-hand hits easily enough. Outwardly, she was keeping her cool, but inside the turmoil was threatening to spill over. When the group had decided they would kill Sasuke two years ago, it hadn't seemed like it would be this hard. However, Sasuke was her old teammate. They'd bonded over their missions even if they were years ago. Even if, back then, he never really cared about her. That was something she had to live with. But she cared about him. No, she _cares _about him. She was hard pressed to think she would ever stop caring about him. They had an emotional connection, but as his fist connects with her stomach, she realized that he'd all but dissolved this.

Grabbing onto his arm, she pushed chakra into her hands and swung him around her head like a rag doll, slamming him into the ground. He jumped up quickly, and flipped a few feet away to regain his composure. Sakura wasn't going to have it, though. She was on the offensive now. As she pulled a kunai out of Itachi's belt she slashed it at his stomach. Sasuke dodged by rolling to the left, but Sakura had anticipated the move. Sasuke had always dodged to the left when they were genin, and it seemed that he was still using his old fighting style. That would be a disadvantage for him – she knew his fighting style, for the most part, but he hadn't a clue as to hers.

Her style had grown and morphed into something completely different in the past five years, but if he was just a stronger version of his old self, she would be able to better anticipate his moves.

A chakra infused kick met Sasuke's rips and they crunched underneath her leg. Sakura grimaced at the sound, and the urge to heal him overcame her for a moment. First and foremost, she was a medic, and one of her 'friends' was injured. But this was battle, and she'd promised she would try to kill Sasuke if he didn't agree to go back to Konoha. Of course, while she threw her arm out in attempts to punch him, she thought she could never actually kill him.

She loved him.

Even if she wasn't in love with him, she would always love him.

Her inner chaos was beginning to take effect. With each punch he threw, or with each kick she unleashed, Sakura felt her heart breaking little by little. This was _worse_ than the day that he'd left. That had been a sudden burst of emotion and heartbreak, but the after effects had been traumatic for her psyche. This was slow. Each move was chipping away at her heart gradually, and she could feel it. she could feel the way everything was crashing down around her. However, this was no time to be _weak_. This was a time to prove herself _to_ herself. This was the chance she had been waiting for. Bring Sasuke back to Konoha. Bring him back home. The mantra repeated itself in her head over and over again.

Distracted by her inner thoughts, Sakura felt Sasuke grab her hand with one arm, and Sasuke sent a kunai deep into it. Sakura let out a chocked cry and pulled the kunai out in one movement. Healing it quickly with the brush of a hand over it and with as little chakra as possible, she lunged towards Sasuke.

He dodged her by rolling again, this time in the opposite direction. He was forcing an elbow to her back when she whipped around to face him. Sakura latched onto his elbow and tapped it with her chakra-infused fist.

Sasuke jerked back and realized he lost all function of his arm. "Something I learned from your buddy Kabuto," Sakura wheezed, panting heavily from the battle. Sasuke wasn't in good shape either although he looked a little more composed. "It was easy to figure out his fighting style after a few rounds with him myself."

_When had she run into Kabuto by herself? _He thought to himself instantly. Automatically, he did not like the idea of Sakura coming into contact with Orochimaru's favorite assistant. Sometimes Sasuke wondered if Kabuto was more fucked up than Orochimaru. The next question was, if Sakura did encounter Kabuto by herself, then how the hell was she alive? However, he couldn't ask her these things now. He was in the middle of a battle with the girl, who was surprising him on each turn. She truly had grown stronger. Sakura would always be weak because she was Sakura, and she loved him. At least, he thought she still loved him. But she was stronger now than she was when they had been twelve, and it was enough to keep him on his toes.

Sasuke shook the arm a little, and forced chakra into it while comprehending he could regain some function back to it. Thankfully he had been attacked by Kabuto in practice training enough times to counter some of the jutsu. Sakura's was different though – little less maniacal but a little more potent as well. If it had been Kabuto that had attacked, Sasuke could have regained marked more movement back into his arm.

Sasuke just grinned devilishly at her, "Let's stop playing around, shall we?"

Sakura allowed a smile to cross her lips – the adrenaline and heat of this battle was more excitement than she could take. While she may be a medic-nin, she also was a shinobi. Battles couldn't help buy enthuse her like this. Additionally, her shishou had instilled a deep love for hand-to-hand combat in the field. Not all medics could do what she was doing now, and she was proud of that. "I'm glad you said that, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura threw a punch to the ground, creating a fissure towards him. He jumped, avoiding it easily. Sakura unleashed a rain of senbon on him, which he also dodged. Sakura had him on the defensive, so she continued her onslaught. Two shadow clones of herself appeared, and began more hand-to-hand combat with the Uchiha.

Then, Sakura channeled just enough chakra into her arms and grabbed a small tree on the edge of the path. She swung it at the distracted Sasuke and hit him fully in the back. Her shadow clones disappeared, and Sasuke fell to the ground. He was pulling himself up quickly, though. There was blood trickling from his mouth slowly.

He coughed and glared at her. When had she progressed this much? Even two years ago when they had engaged in battle, she was ridiculously weaker than him. Had she continued to train that much, or had he let himself slip? No, that couldn't be it. He'd been training like a madman.

Finally, he realized he really only had one option. Although he didn't really want to kill her, he also saw he had no choice. Plus, she'd mentioned that Naruto had refused to be a part of the pact to kill him. If he was able to kill Sakura, that would make his impending fight with Naruto all the more intense and deadly. Sakura, as always, would be the perfect pawn.

Sasuke channeled chakra into his good arm and held it at his side. The lightning of the chidori began to tickle his palm. Sakura dropped the tree in utter shock. She gulped a little and stared at Sasuke coldly. Was he really about to use the chidori on her? He really was trying to kill her, wasn't he? Yes, yes he was.

Sasuke charged her and Sakura was caught off guard by his amazing speed. When he appeared in front of her, suddenly, the only thing she had time to do was grab his hand before it made contact with her stomach. He pressed on, though, and the tendrils of lightning began to scrape through her black tunic. It whipped open and now the chidori was clawing its' way through the bandages beneath.

Sakura channeled more chakra into her fists, trying to keep him at bay. But Sasuke did the same, and the chidori was gaining space and was getting much too close to her stomach. There was only one thing to do now, but she was quickly losing chakra in trying to stop the chidori from burrowing itself into her stomach. She channeled chakra into her left foot and pulled away from Sasuke by sidestepping. This threw him off balance as he had been trying with all his might to hit Sakura with the chidori. Sakura grabbed his arms, and once again swung Sasuke to the side, hitting him into a tree. The chidori dissipated immediately.

Itachi was impressed. It took a lot for Itachi to be impressed, but the kunoichi had done it. Stopping the chidori was no easy feat for anyone, much less a kunoichi. If it had been Kakashi's chidori, he was sure that it would have overcome her instantly. But Sasuke had a strong chidori as well, and it took a lot of raw power to be able to avoid such a devastating blow. However, she had effectively halted the attack and managed to get a good hit on Sasuke in the process. Sakura wasn't even fighting at her best, he knew. She was holding back because she really had no desire to kill Sasuke. It was only her loyalty to that damned Konoha that was making her do this.

When should Itachi interfere, though? That was the question. Surely, he wasn't going to allow Sakura to kill Sasuke. That would be counterintuitive. Would he allow Sasuke to kill Sakura? That would also be a waste at the moment. They needed her for a mission and she was still healing his eyes, after all.

There was also something about the kunoichi that attracted him to her. She was beautiful, for one. But he had other women who could sate his desire for a beautiful woman. Additionally, he had never attempted to bed the kunoichi. It was something else. There was this eternal flame within her that never seemed to extinguish. Even when he had been mentally torturing her, whether it be the scrolls or the Sharingan, her will had never wavered. Surely, it was her master's teachings of the Will of Fire, but he had never seen such a bright fire in anyone before. It burned so brightly, that he doubted that anyone could extinguish it in the girl.

He saw them then, the tears slowly spilling down Sakura's cheeks as her chakra-infused foot connected with Sasuke's head. She was suffering. Despite her resolute answer to her brother earlier, that she no longer loved him, he could tell she was lying at least a little. Fighting with her forming teammate was eating her up internally, and she held quite strong feelings for Sasuke even if she did not truly love him anymore. His younger brother went flying and was effectively knocked unconscious. Kisame turned from his perch below Itachi to look at him. Itachi simply nodded.

By the time Itachi had made his way to where Sakura was kneeling over Sasuke, he only had time to halt her next attack. Kunai in hand, Sakura was preparing to plunge the weapon directly into the unconscious Sasuke's heart. Itachi grabbed her hands tightly, and Sakura stopped instantly.

"Let me go," she choked out, the tears more prominent now than ever.

"No," he replied coolly. Then, almost softly, he said, "You'll never forgive yourself."

The kunai dropped and Sakura pulled away from the elder Uchiha's grip. She was now facing him with an incredulous look on her face. "You've never forgiven yourself, have you?"

The shock and despair that crossed his face was so brief that Sakura wouldn't have seen it had she not been looking directly into his eyes. His head shaking 'no' was also more subtle than she could have noticed had her attention been anywhere else.

"Sasuke has a mission," Itachi stated emphatically, having regained his sudden composure. This scene felt oddly intimate, and it made him uncomfortable. His intentions were not to bare his soul to the Konoha kunoichi in front of him, "To kill me. You let him try to accomplish that."

Sakura nodded in understanding, but then she turned back around to Sasuke. She took the kunai, and Itachi was about to stop her but then he realized she was merely cutting of his white shirt. Her glowing green chakra swept over his body, healing any life-threatening wounds. Then, she began to make hand seals.

Itachi leaned over her, his black cloak billowing over her head, and his arm touching her back slightly. Sakura stiffened at the contact, and she said wryly, "I'm sending him back home."

Itachi merely nodded. That was where he belonged, and that way he could be stifled and controlled a bit before their final confrontation. It also allowed him more time to have his eyes healed. There was no need for Sasuke to run around a rogue ninja any longer. Sakura completed the seals and slammed her open palm on Sasuke's chest. Black kanji began to appear and went in a circular motion around Sasuke's body. Then, in a puff of cherry blossom petals, he was gone.

Sakura slumped, and Itachi looked at her body. With his Sharingan, he was able to deduce that she had all but completely drained herself of chakra; hence, causing her sudden unconsciousness. This wasn't the first time she was like this – there had been a few of his healing sessions where Sakura fell nearly unconscious from putting too much chakra into his body. Picking her up by her back and tucking his arm behind her knees, he turned towards the Akatsuki that were now joining him.

"Kid knows how to fight," Kisame noted.

"Sakura-san is stronger than we know," Tobi commented.

"She wasn't even fighting at full power, yeah," Deidara said. Itachi nodded, "That's one kick ass kunoichi, yeah."

X

It was half past three, Tsunade noted, which meant it was happy hour. Really, every hour was happy hour when your apprentice of five years gives herself up to the Akatsuki in order to save another ninjas life. Of course, Tsunade was proud of Sakura, but she missed her, too. Sakura was the bright and cheery sunshine that was Tsunade's mundane life.

Without Sakura, Tsunade found it difficult to sneak sake into her office past Shizune. Sakura understood the need for a drink sometimes, and would even distract Shizune for her. This came with a price – Sakura carefully monitored the amount of sake that passed through the door, but at least she didn't have to deal with Shizune's constant nagging.

The day was almost done. She'd finished going through the briefings of returning ninjas, handed out assignments to the teams of genin, and now all she had to do was approve some budgets. Then it was time to go home.

Still, she worried for Sakura. If Shino, Neji, Kiba, Genma, and Ino didn't find Sakura soon, Tsunade worried they would dispose of the kunoichi. Tsunade gathered it would take at least a few months for Sakura to heal Itachi's eyes. The man was nearly blind, after all. Plus, she was sure Sakura would go slowly, biding her time. She had trained her apprentice well.

The Akatsuki would also be moving frequently in order to evade the ninja after them. Sakura had three months, she deduced, before her life was in eminent danger. That didn't mean that she didn't instantly send out a team of her best ninja to find her. The hokage had chosen to keep Kakashi and Naruto behind.

The last thing she needed was Naruto bounding off to find Sakura, and therefore facing the Akatsuki. She was sure that they were trying to use Sakura as bait for Naruto in some way, shape, or form. Naruto had been devastated and angry by the news, but after much discussion with herself, Kakashi, and Jiraiya, he finally agreed to stay back. Well, not really. It had taken a talk with Hinata Hyuuga to truly deter the blond from leaving. Tsunade smirked – Naruto had no idea the power Hinata held over him.

Tsunade had just taken her second shot of sake and returned to her reports when her nose twitched. The smell of cherry blossoms filled the room and an ounce of hope rose in her chest suddenly. When she looked up, though, she was completely and totally taken off guard.

A bare-chested and battered looking Sasuke Uchiha was lying, unconscious in the middle of her office. There was a transportation seal performed on his chest, and Tsunade recognized it as Sakura's own version of Tsunade's transportation jutsu.

Tsunade jumped from her desk and ran to the door. "Get me Shizune, Hatake, and Uzumaki! Now!"

The chunin intern that had been standing outside the door allowed papers to slip from her hands in shock as she nodded and ran in the direction of Shizune's office. Seconds later, Tsunade's first apprentice appeared and gaped at the Uchiha.

Tsunade was bent over him, assessing his wounds. "He was in a fight with Sakura. I'm sure of it," she mumbled.

Shizune joined her, pressing her chakra into Sasuke. The wounds were definitely indicative of a fight with Sakura. She began to heal his wounds, and the Uchiha coughed, sputtering some blood. Shizune noted to her teacher, "It was one hell of a fight…hey is that sake I smell on your breath!"

Tsunade muttered something unintelligible, but didn't deny the accusation. Just then, Kakashi appeared at her window. His visible eye widened in disbelief at the sight before him. "We should wait for Naruto," was all he was able to choke out.

As if on cue, the boisterous blond came through the door with a loud bang, but his eyes dropped to Sasuke instantly. His mouth fell ajar in shock as he fell to his knees, tears pricking the edge of his eyes. Sasuke coughed again and groaned in pain as his entire body stiffened.

"Shizune, sedate him," Tsunade commanded, and the younger medic quickly pinched a nerve in the back of his neck, and his body went limp again. After a few minutes of complete silence, Tsunade and Shizune had effectively healed all of Sasuke's wounds.

"He was in a fight?" Naruto asked, still in shock at the sudden appearance of his teammate.

"With Sakura," Tsunade noted. Naruto's eyes got big. His mind flashed to the conversation two years prior when the entire group had agreed to kill Sasuke on sight if they ever came across him. Something, either internal or external, stopped Sakura from killing Sasuke. Naruto was all too happy that happened because the last thing he wanted was his bastard dead, after all.

"There's something wrong," Shizune said. "This seal should have disappeared by now."

Tsunade nodded in agreement. She performed a few hand signs, knowing her apprentice was crafty, and slammed her palm down on the chest of the Uchiha, right where the center of the seal was located. The seal disappeared, and was replaced, in black letters, with Sakura's handwriting.

'_Take care of this for me. I love you shishou.'_

"Kakashi come here," Tsunade commanded. Kakashi left his perch from the window and walked over to Sasuke. Kneeling next to Tsunade, he looked at the hokage. "I have a theory, make the same hand signs as I did and perform the same unsealing jutsu."

Kakashi did, and Sakura's handwriting appeared again. _'Use your eye drops and take care of Naruto. And do not blame yourself. This was my choice. I love you, Kakashi-sensei' _Kakashi gasped a little at the message clearly left just for him.

"Shizune," Tsunade said, inclining her head. Shizune nodded, performed the jutsu, and pushed her hand lightly on Sasuke's chest. _'The recipe for the new poison I was working on is in my apartment in my hiding spot. Take care and I love you.'_

Shizune gasped, "We've been trying to replicate it for weeks!"

"Naruto, go ahead," Tsunade urged.

Naruto tentatively performed the signs and hit his former teammate in the chest, right where the others had. It was slow to come forth, but Sakura's message appeared in her normal, neat handwriting. His message was longer than all the rest, and took up a good portion of Sasuke's chest.

'_Naruto. Don't come after me. Don't do anything stupid. I'll be home as soon as I can. You should also take the ANBU exams. There's no need to wait for me, and you're ready. Take care of yourself and Sasuke. I love you – Sakura.'_

Everyone felt it, the slight undertone in the messages. Because if things didn't go as planned, if she didn't return soon…this was Sakura's way of saying goodbye.

AN: I hope you enjoyed. Please review!


	7. Can't Say Goodbye

AN: I wrote a good portion of this under the influence of Nyquil. Damn colds, damn them to hell. Anyway, I tried to be a little more descriptive in this chapter. I hope you like it. Please review!

Slight revisions 6/29/13

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth **

**Chapter 7: Can't Say Goodbye**

* * *

"_In time, in time they tell me, I'll not feel so bad. I don't want time to heal me. There's a reason I'm like this. I want time to set me ugly and knotted with loss of you, marking me. I won't smooth you away. I can't say goodbye."_

― _China Miéville, The Scar_

* * *

It was the soft humming of chakra being implanted into her body that woke her slowly. The warmth from the chakra that wove its way slowly throughout her body sent a shiver down her spine, visibly, and the person who was healing her tensed. The chakra ceased and suddenly Sakura found herself whimpering subconsciously at the sudden lack of warm contact. Burying herself into her soft, velvety blankets and sheets further, a cool, calloused finger gripped her by the shoulder lightly.

"Sakura-san," the voice said steadily, "Remain still."

She couldn't place the mysterious voice, but she knew she recognized it. The sound was soft yet firm but she still failed, to her frustration and dissatisfaction, to think of who could have issued that kind of command. Deciding it was because she still wasn't fully conscious, she focused on coming around. Tears were pricking the sides of her sore eyes and threatened to fall unceremoniously from the orbs. Cursing herself for being so emotional, Sakura huffed in exasperation as the healing chakra on her back began to pulsate and consume her once again. Allowing herself to fall into a half-conscious state, her mind instantly flashed to the complete horror that had been the past afternoon.

Her entire heart ached at the realization that she had been fully prepared and poised to kill him, Sasuke, her teammate, the boy who she used to be in _love _with. Permitting herself to wryly laugh inwardly at that word, Sakura did not fail to see the irony in this completely screwed up situation she had planted her feet so firmly in. It wasn't until years had passed and Sakura found someone else, someone different to fill the void that Sasuke left, that she knew what love really, truly meant. The absolute chaos that had been that relationship also hit her chest, making her eyes constrict at her most recently failed attempts at happiness. Forcing back the memories of her failed relationship, she turned her mind back to Sasuke. He was much easier to think about then _him_.

Loved, loved, loved – Sakura had thought she'd been in _love _with Uchiha Sasuke and now she was vowing to kill him. She'd almost done it, too. Itachi had stopped her, thankfully. Truly, with every fiber of her being, she had not wanted to kill Sasuke. Now he was back in Konoha where he belonged. As one tear escaped her eyes, she clenched them shut tightly; trying to keep them from escaping because she knew that at least one Akatsuki was in the room with her.

Instead she focused on regaining her physical bearings while compartmentalizing her inner turmoil. The bed underneath her was familiar and warm – one she had slept on before. Was she back in her room in Konoha? No that would be too good to be true. She was surely at the Akatsuki base somewhere in Earth Country. Another gruff voice in the room was enough to rouse her completely and she recognized it this time.

"Kid going to be okay, Itachi?" Kisame asked roughly.

"It's been a while since I've needed to use medical chakra," Itachi responded flatly, "However she should be fine."

Kisame let out a bit of a sigh in relief. The death of the kunoichi would be majorly inconvenient at this point, wouldn't it? They needed her for the mission and to heal Itachi's eyes. Not that the Mist-nin had actually grown fond of the rambunctious, fowl, and volatile little kunoichi – no, it was nothing like that. His liking for the Leaf-nin was for practical reasons only – her abilities and the fact that she was trained by the only Leaf shinobi he had any sort of respect for.

Tsunade. Kisame usually found that Leaf shinobi were pathetically weak because of their nature to create emotional attachments to others. Sakura was a prime example, sacrificing herself so that they would allow Kakashi to go free. The girl's ideals were completely lost on Kisame; however, he held a certain amount of respect for Tsunade and Sakura was her protégé in every way, shape, and form. Therefore, it was hard for Kisame not to respect the kunoichi as well.

Kisame noted a change in Itachi since Sakura began healing his eyes. The Sharingan wielder did not wince in pain and seemed not to suffer from migraines as he had before – an additional compliment towards the kunoichi.

The few times Itachi had trained recently had also impressed Kisame – Itachi's speed and accuracy had already been something to admire, but with his newfound vision, Itachi was a deadly force of pure speed and subtle death.

Kisame had actually felt his blood curl when Itachi had suddenly appeared behind time during a training session, a kunai at his throat. The Uchiha had been training hard that day and Kisame chose to just observe. Itachi had been practicing a fire technique that he was mastering when suddenly; there he was, behind Kisame with a kunai at his neck and an evil gleam in his red eyes. It took a lot of skill to catch the shark-nin off guard.

Sakura mumbled something as she tensed under Itachi's medical chakra. They had unceremoniously deposited the girl on her bed once they arrived back at the base, removed her tunic, and assessed her wounds after her fight with Sasuke. Itachi determined that she had torn all of the muscles in her back and shoulders from swinging the tree on Sasuke and had been badly burned on her stomach from the younger Uchiha's chidori.

Itachi had hesitated whether or not to heal her. This was not something he had anticipated doing with the young medic-nin. It was only under Deidara's and Kisame's coercions that he chose to heal her as he was the only one with any medical experience. It was required that all Konoha ANBU at least have basic medical knowledge and therefore, Itachi was the only one who could heal her semi-properly.

After lightly cutting her bindings from her back, leaving her chest to the bed as not to expose her, he had lightly placed his hands on her back and began to heal her muscles. That's when Sakura began to mewl in the most disconcerting way. Then she shifted, burying herself deeper into the bed as if she was having some sort of dream. It was then that Itachi noticed the tears flowing from the girl's eyes.

_How predictable_. He had thought. Obviously the young kunoichi held some vestiges of a torch for his younger brother, and she was so emotional and uncalculating that it was no surprise to him when she began to regret her actions. Although when Sasuke had asked Sakura if she still _needed_ him, she had blatantly and completely refused. Where had that come from? Was there some deeper meaning to her relationship with his brother other than the fact that she was his former teammate? How odd. And if she had some sort of deep emotional connection to Sasuke, what had caused it to dissipate? All of her actions pointed to the fact that she would be willing to kill him.

Finally, Itachi finished. His medical jutsu was nowhere near as refined as hers, so it took longer and used more chakra than it would have if she'd been the one doing the healing. Now she would only suffer with some soreness and muscle stiffness – nothing to be overly concerned about. It then occurred to him that if she was doing the healing, her patient would probably not feel a thing once they woke up.

"Sakura," he mumbled. The girl's eyes snapped open and another tear escaped her eyes. She tried to jerk up, but Itachi placed his hands firmly on her back. If the kunoichi jumped up, she would be completely exposed to them, "Calm down. You're at the base. You tore all the muscles in your back and shoulders. Do you understand?"

Sakura's face was burrowed so far into the pillow that she could only make a whimper of understanding as she nodded her head. Itachi sighed. Quietly, but monotonically, he stated, "Good. I'm going to leave the room to give you some privacy. Please dress yourself but make sure I can access your stomach to address the burn."

Itachi stood and walked out with Kisame behind him. Slowly, Sakura began to move her muscles a bit. They ached horribly, feeling as if she had been curled into a ball for days and not allowed to move, but she was grateful to Itachi for healing her. Since her hands could not reach her back and shoulders, she would have never been able to heal herself and would have been completely and utterly helpless and wounded. There were not many things that could fix a torn muscle except rest; however it was not uncommon for toxins from the muscles to release into the body causing irreversible damage with the ultimate outcome being death. Begrudgingly, she admitted coarsely to herself that Itachi had saved her life.

Tentatively, she pushed herself up despite the fact that every muscle in her body was rebelling against her. Sighing exhaustedly, felt her bindings slip, revealing her chest. _That's why Itachi wouldn't let me move_. She realized, flushing at the thought of exposing herself to the two Akatsuki. He had cut clean through her bandages and standard-issue kunoichi tube bra to access her back.

Sakura pulled herself off the bed and walked slowly to the dresser that held her scant amount of clothes. Rifling through the drawers quickly, she pulled on another bra without looking at her stomach, knowing from the pain that was emanating from that particular wound would mean it was grotesque. Then through silent sighs of pain and discomfort, she managed to pull on Itachi's jounin shirt. It was loose fitting enough that he would be able to heal her stomach. If her chakra wasn't nonexistent, she would just heal herself. However all of her reserves had gone into her battle with Sasuke and the subsequent transportation jutsu after.

Her mind wandered to Konoha where her shishou had probably just received the shock of her life. Undoubtedly Tsunade would have nearly keeled at the sudden appearance of a half-naked Sasuke in the middle of her office. It would be worth a few shots of sake, at least.

Sakura chuckled to herself, but her inner musings stopped with a light but steady tap on the door. "Come in," she called shyly. Surprisingly, Deidara walked in, his eyes brightening when he saw the kunoichi.

"How you feeling, yeah?" he asked rather compassionately, but then he shifted nervously when he saw the Sakura's eyebrows rise at his concern. Moving his legs a little awkwardly, he approached Sakura slowly as not to alarm her in any way. Sakura didn't fail to notice the uncertain look in his eye as he made his way closer to her.

"Better," she replied sweetly, trying to reciprocate the gesture of his concern. Her eyes glanced down and she realized there was a bowl of ramen in his hands, and her stomach automatically growled, to Sakura's horror, at the sight of the food. She was famished.

"Eat," Deidara commanded lightly, shoving the dish into her hands. "Itachi is resting and then he'll be back to take care of that nasty burn, yeah."

Sakura allowed a small smile to cross her lips and she thanked him. Slowly, she settled herself into a wooden chair in the room. Deidara lingered for a moment, his eyes not leaving the kunoichi, but then he swiftly made his exit and closed the door.

Only a few minutes later, there was another knock, this one more commanding. Itachi entered after Sakura had barely uttered a word of recognition. Clearly a little mussed and tired, Itachi looked at her through weary onyx eyes. Sakura couldn't help but notice the hairs that were fringing from his ponytail and that he looked unbelievably good like that – with bedroom eyes and hair – as if he had just finished having …

Sakura bit down on her tongue so hard that she squeaked. Itachi arched an eyebrow at her questioningly from the other side of the room but Sakura merely shook her head in response. Itachi made his way to her quickly and held his hand to her. Understanding that he meant to support her, she placed the bowl down on the table next to her and strained against his firm hands to stand up. Then he was standing behind her, their bodies only separated by a few inches, holding her forearms steadily to help her walk.

Once up, she found herself quite capable of walking but Itachi's obstinate grip on her forearms never wavered. Slowly, he helped her sink into the bed and lay on her back. He sighed, not knowing where to go from here. It was quite awkward, indeed. He found things much easier when the girl was unconscious. Musing over the idea of knocking her out, he quickly disbanded it as it would only set to infuriate the already injured kunoichi – knowing her temper, she would quickly tear all of her muscles again, completely disregarding his hard work.

"I need to see your stomach," he intoned flatly. Sakura nodded knowingly and slowly arched her back and pulled the shirt up lightly, just stopping underneath her breasts. Itachi couldn't stop himself – his gaze following her arched back as her hands lightly touched her pale, sickly flesh as her skin shuddered at the light touch.

His gaze then fell to the incongruous wound that covered her stomach, and Itachi's insides twisted. That, that _mess_ was with minimal contact of the chidori. Burned flesh was all he could see at first, but as he looked closer, there were spots where blood and pus was beginning to slowly seep from the wound. Additionally, the skin on her ribs and the sides of her abdomen had some similar scars from the sparking lightning of the chidori.

Sakura sighed at Itachi's calloused fingers grazed with chakra across her stomach. Not daring to look at it, she clenched her eyes shut at Itachi's icy chakra began to seep its way into her wound. It was not something she liked, admittedly. His chakra was different from anyone she'd been healed by before – it was colder, more calculating, and less warmth with good intent. When Shizune, Tsunade, or Ino healing her, Sakura could almost feel the dire love and devotion to helping someone else around them. Itachi, however, did not seem to possess such feelings towards healing at all.

Allowing her mind to trail, Sakura went back to the fight. The utter shock that had coursed through her when Sasuke had lit his chidori was unbelievable and had practically left her breathless. Of course, she hadn't been fighting at full power. Surely, Sasuke knew that. Originally, she hadn't been fighting to kill. But as the chirping bird attack formed in his hands, Sakura knew that she would have to kill him as all bonds from their childhood slowly cracked, fizzled, and disappeared.

Itachi had stopped her, though, and told her that she'd never forgive herself. Sakura wasn't so sure if that was true or not – she had no problem thinking she would forgive herself just fine for killing Sasuke. Then, Naruto's face with his big blue eyes rushed into her head and a stab of guilt formed itself in her chest. He would be heartbroken if he discovered that Sakura had killed Sasuke. Sakura couldn't do that to him, and she knew it.

Concentrating on the burn and not the light curve of her breasts that he could see from where she'd placed her shirt, Itachi pulsed more healing chakra into the wound. No, he was definitely not looking at her body. _This is sick_. Itachi thought angrily to himself as he allowed himself a moment of inward emotion. _Perhaps I will find a young woman to…entertain…me at that little party we'll be attending in a few days' time. I certainly haven't been visiting my contacts in town as much as I had previous, and having this kunoichi here all the time is clearly become a distraction to my…weakness_. Itachi shook his head at himself a bit. _Normal hormones are not a weakness, just a part of life_. He clarified to himself.

Then to his utter discontentment, Sakura did that mewling noise that she had earlier signaling that she was deriving pleasure from the healing…from his hands on her. Itachi went stiff at the thought and lifted his hands a little as not to actually have physical contact with the kunoichi. Hovering his hands about half an inch away from her skin, he continued to heal her wound until a light pink scar was the only visible anomaly taken from her fight with Sasuke.

Well, except perhaps the clear emotional toll it was taking on her. Since returning with her from the base, a seamlessly ending stream of tears had been falling down her face, not that she addressed them or made any other sounds saying she was distressed. Sighing, Itachi knew that this was her way of coping with whatever transgressed between her and Sasuke. His choice was to bury it deeply within him and let it slowly disintegrate his body, mind, and soul. She just liked to cry and hit things.

Sakura didn't seem to notice that he was done as she lay on the bed, eyes closed, deep in thought. Itachi almost bit his lip in frustration, but he kept his calm demeanor. Lightly pulling the fabric of _his_ jounin shirt (that didn't make him pleased in the slightest _every damn time_ he saw it on her, no feelings of satisfaction here) down to cover her stomach, Itachi effectively snapped the girl out of her inner thoughts. Her eyes opened quickly to look at him and then down at her stomach. "Thank you," she practically whispered.

"Of course," he replied passively, the unflappable calm never leaving his face. "Rest now. We will need to leave first thing in the morning for the mission."

"Right," Sakura replied tentatively. As he turned to go, her hand shot up and lightly grabbed his before she could stop herself or think otherwise. He turned to look at her from the corner of his eye, and with a light, wary smile, she whispered, "Good night, Itachi-san."

X

One and a half days of nonstop travel, a few hours of rest, and then a few more to get ready, and Sakura could barely identify herself as she gazed at the unrecognizable reflection in the mirror at the inn the group was staying at. It had been so long since she'd gotten dressed up. In fact, she remembered, the last time she wore a kimono was at her very own engagement party. Ignoring the jolt of pain mixed with affection and confusion that etched her body at the memory, she spun in the mirror.

After showering, shaving her legs, putting on a real bra and underwear (not the standard issue kunoichi ones), and dabbing makeup on her face, Sakura felt a little more human than she had in weeks – three weeks actually – the time since she'd been kidnapped. Intertwining her fingers through her strawberry hair, she pulled it into a neat bun, clipping it together with decorative senbon needles. She then wrapped wire into it for added protection in case something was to happen at the party that would require her to defend herself.

Sighing lightly, her nerves were wreaking havoc on her demeanor. It had been a while since she'd been on a semi-seduction mission such as this. Ino was much, much better at these types of missions as Sakura had never truly discovered her overtly sexual side as her best friend had. Besides her one previous partner, she'd never even had sex. Plus, that particular situation was very different than her current one – she had never been out to seduce her former fiancé; it just sort of happened.

Remembering what Ino had told her a long time ago – that she was naturally charming and could get any man's attention with her _natural _flirtatiousness coupled with her stunning pink locks and expressive jade eyes– Sakura smoothed the deep purple kimono in attempts to calm herself. _I can do this_.

Now, she was beginning to question her decision to help the Akatsuki in the first place. They were a group of S-class criminals and she was aiding in their accumulation of funds in order to continue their assault on her best friend. Sighing ever so slightly, her thoughts were (thank goodness) interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

"You decent, kid?" Kisame asked. Sakura called to him and he entered the room. His eyes widened at the foreign sight of her. "Well you clean up real good, don't you?"

The compliment surely made Sakura blush a shade of pink which Kisame ignored. Walking over to her awkwardly, he placed a small ear bud and thin wire in her hand. Rather roughly, he asked, "You know how to conceal one of these?"

Sakura made a very distinct 'hm' of protest at the implication that she didn't and Kisame couldn't help but to smile amusedly at her. Sakura dragged the wire down her body and her back and Kisame tapped it on emphatically. Then she used a mild genjutsu to hide it completely and Kisame smirked at her in approval.

"Good, now let's go," he stated, and as if on cue, Itachi and Deidara walked into the room, Tobi not far behind.

Deidara stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of Sakura, and since Itachi had been concealing his own wire, he had not seen the sudden stop and had almost knocked into Deidara. Glancing up at what had made the irritating blond halt, Itachi couldn't help but gaze at the kunoichi as well because _kami_ did she clean up well.

"Princess, you look simply amazing," Deidara sputtered, even leaving out his habitual 'yeah.'

Sakura's cheeks darkened further, only giving her a more flushed, petite look that forced Itachi to continue his appraisal of her. "Sakura-chan you look like a fairy from heaven!" Tobi interjected wildly waving his hands about.

The attention made Sakura a little fidgety because this situation had happened to her before – she had been sixteen at the time and her and three other male shinobi were on a mission not to dissimilar than this one. It was simply a reconnaissance mission in Mist, but Sakura had been forced to attend a party of a very wealthy lord, so she chose one of her teammates to escort her. When he saw her dressed like this for the first time, his jaw had gone visibly slack and he'd just stared at her until another teammate interrupted their little interlude. This party had been hers and said escort's first date, he would later claim after they had become romantically involved. Cringing outwardly, she huffed a bit, and said, "Are we ready?"

One hour later they were at the front gates of a mansion. No, Sakura decided, mansion was an understatement. Never in her 18 years did she _ever_ think she would see a house this big. It could easily fit four or five Hokage towers inside it. Deidara's hand was firm, but soothing on her back as he led her to the front door.

"Stop gawking, sis," he whispered into her ear lightly, teasing her a bit. Her head snapped to him as she momentarily forgot that she was supposed to be his sister in this mission. Lightly smiling back at him, she nodded.

Itachi stood an acceptable distance away – far enough for him to be comfortable but close enough that anyone could ascertain that he was with this particular group and they were familiar with one another. Itachi handed their tickets to the guards, who scanned them, eyed them warily, and then allowed them to pass into the mansion, castle thing.

The inside was just as magnificent as the outside. Ivory pillars outlined a large ballroom right when the three shinobi entered. Intricate, delicate drawings of thousands of animals wound up these pillars as hundreds of people in similar outfits as theirs danced throughout the floor.

The floor was several different shades of gold and patterned throughout the entire front ballroom to be in the shape of diamonds. Two staircases on either sides of the room, encased by more of the engraved ivory pillars, held landings on the first, second, third, and fourth floors of the home. Itachi surmised that there were at least two floors above those, possibly the living quarters.

Deidara gulped as he had never been in a place so magnificent – not even on missions. Surely, it was something that Sakura and Itachi could adapt to as they were, in general, decent societal people, but this was something that was completely aghast for him. As a waiter passed with a tray of expensive looking sake, Deidara grabbed one and gulped it down without thinking or hesitating. A low growl of disapproval escaped Itachi's throat.

Directly in the center of those staircases was an entrance to what looked like a private room. Itachi bent over, placing a light hand on the small of Sakura's back, and whispered in a chilling voice, "That is probably where our target will be."

Sakura stiffened at the contact; despite having been touched by him before, it was only during situations of interrogations, her emotional outburst after the scroll incident, when he released her chakra from her binds, and his one episode of healing her two days previous. However accustomed Sakura had come to touching Itachi during their healing sessions, this brief contact felt so awkward and wrong to her that she wanted to shake it away. Itachi allowed another sound of disapproval come from the back of his throat as Deidara grabbed and downed another shot of sake before anyone could stop him – but he had released the growl in Sakura's ear, making her completely harden at the sound.

"My apologies," Itachi stated emphatically, now pulling away from her, "Deidara, stop it."

Deidara just glared at them both as he whispered, "I'm going to go scout. Sakura, get into that room. Itachi, make sure she's alright, yeah."

Another sound of discontent came from deep within Itachi at Deidara's _orders_ but he complied anyway. Keeping his hand lightly on the small of Sakura's back he lead her gracefully through the crowd, despite the ridiculous sandals she had to wear for such an occasion. Sakura wasn't sure how she felt, being pulled around like this by Uchiha Itachi, but she complied with his touch and followed him wordlessly through the room. Itachi let out an almost inaudible sigh as they reached the door, "You are aware of the plan? You are responsible from here on out."

Sakura gave him a look, silently irking him, and nodded as she strolled, swaying her hips slightly to the guard outside of the private room. The guard stopped her, suddenly, and she looked at him with big emerald eyes and she was biting her bottom lip as she placed her hands delicately behind her back. She looked as if she was begging him for something, but Itachi saw them – no one else would – the hand signs she made. Suddenly, the guard's eyes glazed over and he was letting her in without another word of protest.

Every single fiber in her body was telling her to _run_. Get the hell out of this small, overly furnished room that only had a few people in it. There were many scantily clad women all with their…men. The main room featured several doors on the borders that surely led to…private rooms as many of the women were dragging the men to them individually, seductive looks on their faces.

Sakura was not new to this, though, and she knew she would be able to accomplish this task, for in the middle of the room sat one Noboru Tanaka. She recognized him instantly – it had been a few years but he'd hardly changed at all. Long, spikey hair that reminded her of Naruto, tattoos etched across his bare chest as he wore all of his dress shirts open, all the time, and piercingly dark eyes – darker then Uchiha Itachi's. A dwindling cigarette hung from his mouth and he discarded it.

Sakura gracefully glided her way to side of the room with refreshments – mostly alcohol and small hors d'oeuvres. Silently swaying to herself a bit she takes a bite out of one and turns a sidelong glance to the thug and he is _staring_ at her with a hungry, lustful passion that she's never seen before. Sakura wills herself to blush a bit as she finishes off the finger food and takes a light drink of wine from the glass she acquired. He quirks a smile at her, which Sakura must concede that without the cigarette, could actually be considered charming.

Gracefully, well as gracefully as she can in these ridiculous sandals, Sakura makes her way over to him and kneels before his chair. Bowing lightly, she chirps, "Thank you for your hospitality, Tanaka-san."

"What's your name, beautiful?" he asks smoothly, his deep baritone voice coursing through her. Automatically, Sakura can understand why maybe in some way, shape, or form that women actually found him attractive. It's almost soothing, not gruff like Kisame's or authoritative like Kakashi's. It's just gentle to hear, and for a moment she is lost in thoughts.

"Yuma Sayuri," Sakura replied automatically.

"Yuma? Like the lord from the town over?" he asks in the same charming voice.

"My father, sir. I'm here with my brother, Yuko, and his friend, Hoshigi Hiro," Sakura replied as she raises her eyes to demurely meet the man before her.

"Ah, your father and I do business together," he states matter-of-factly. "He hasn't mentioned children."

"I'm aware of your business dealings, and it's not something he talks about often as my brother and I spend most of our time at school in Tea Country. I'm afraid my father has taken ill so he sent my brother and I here in his place as we are home on leave. We are very thankful for your hospitality," Sakura responds, remembering her manners.

"You may call me Noboru…" he trails off, "that is if you don't mind me calling you Sayuri."

"It would be an honor, Noboru," Sakura whispers. Now, Noboru had placed his hands gently on hers and he's pulling her up so that she's standing before him.

"Would you like to sit with me?" he asks suavely – not so much that it is in excess, but enough to send unwanted shivers down Sakura's spine. As per plan, she sits, but a little closer than he'd originally intended. In fact, Sakura is practically draped over the man.

He, however, doesn't seem to mind as he trails his fingers up and down her back slowly. Sakura finds herself shivering at the contact – hating the way her body responds to this natural stimulus. Damn her 18-year-old hormones. Damn them straight to hell.

Sakura is essentially sitting across Noboru's lap as her arms dangle around his neck and he is whispering things into her ear – that is all Itachi can see from his place in the insufferable ballroom. He's not enjoying this mission, no; he's not at all – especially now that Deidara has effectively inebriated himself out of usefulness. After his sixth shot of sake, Itachi had effectively knocked him out and through him unceremoniously into one of the side rooms to sleep it off. Now, detachedly, he was watching this thug grope his disgusting hands all over Sakura, and they were getting much too close to her chest.

To her eternal credit, the volatile kunoichi never wavered, and if anything, she seemed to be _enjoying_ the attentions of said thug. Either she really was enjoying them, or she was an exceptionally good actress. Itachi chose to believe the latter as Sakura was now slowly, very slowly, pulling herself off of Noboru and tugging on his hand playfully.

Knowing that this was his signal, Itachi began to make his way up the stairs quietly to wait for them to come. Then, he would strike.

Sakura wasn't terribly surprised by how easy it was to get Noboru to take her upstairs, to his private quarters. He had mentioned something about a painting he had – Sakura jumped at the chance and begged him to take her to see it. Now his possessive grip was leading her up the stairs quickly as not to delay their supposed interaction much longer.

As they finally made their way through the back staircase and up to the third floor where his suite was, Sakura stopped in the hallway. Sensing Itachi's presence, she pulled a little on Noboru's hand. Then, slowly, if not a little forcefully, she planted a heated kiss on his lips.

Instantly, his hands were at her waist as she mewled in delight at the contact. His thumbs pressed into her forcefully and she squeaked a bit in protest, but the man only took this as further provocation to continue his actions. Before she knew it, he was slamming her roughly against the wall and attacking her neck. Instinctively, his leg was going between hers and she had no choice but to part hers. Bending down, he grabbed her kimono and whipped it open as to gain more access to her flesh. It took all Sakura had not to stab the man there, but they had all agreed that she not be the one to kill him.

Itachi had been all but completely prepared to kill the man in front of him, but something stopped him. The sight of Sakura's legs flinging open for the man had all but taken the breath out of him. One of the thug's hands was holding Sakura's wrists above her head, and the other was placed in a sensitive place between her thighs while he ravaged her neck. The sight made Itachi completely uncomfortable, and he hesitated in trying to attack the man as he did not want to leave Sakura in such an open position.

Sakura let out a bit of a hiss (although Tanaka seemed to think it was a pleasurable sigh) that snapped Itachi out of his thoughts complete. Her eyes were trained on _him_ and her face looked angry. Itachi took this as the cue to attack and he was behind Tanaka and had snapped his neck before the man ever knew what happened. Sakura was quick to pull her kimono closed, her face flushed, as she stormed past Itachi angrily.

As he caught up with her rampage, she whirled around to look at him, "You couldn't have done it sooner?" she spat.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself," he replied, just to anger her. Yes, it was juvenile and he knew it, but it was only a little of the solace he received from the kunoichi's sudden and possibly permanent place in his life. Itachi caught the chakra-infused fist of Sakura easily and put it down to her side.

"Well I wasn't," she huffed.

"I will take that into account for _next time _this happens," he replied shortly. "We need to receive Deidara before leaving."

What do you mean, next time? Uchiha?" Sakura asked angrily, her temper beginning to boil. "There will never be a next time. I'm healing your eyes and then I'm going home!"

Sakura ran to the door and exited, leaving Itachi to deal with a very unconscious Deidara by himself. Just as he made it to the door with eh inebriated blond, the alarm bells began to ring, and Itachi found himself enclosed by a very large group of rogue ninja.

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AN: I apologize if the last half of this chapter makes no sense at all as I'm very quickly feeling drowsy and the need to sleep. Goodnight and please review for my sickly self :)


	8. Head-On Confrontation

AN: Alright, here's another chapter for ya'll that care. You find out who Sakura's former fiance is in this chapter, and there's a bit of a surprise at the end, too! The next thing I post will be a chapter for The Blue Jays since I've done two chapters for this since my last update for that story. So, in essense, it may be a few days until I get another one of these babies up. I hope you like it!

Slight revision on 6/29/13

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**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 8: Head-On Confronation**

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"_There can be no progress without head-on confrontation." _

― _Christopher Hitchens, Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays_

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Itachi Uchiha was never a 'direct confrontation' type of person, but the group of rogue ninja who had now surrounded him seemed to be the exact opposite. From what Itachi could tell, they were all at least A-class if not S-class level criminals, and featured large, dangerous looking weapons and evil grins on their faces. Grimacing to himself, he set Deidara down on the floor in order to better defend himself – if they blond got caught in the crossfire, than it was his own damn fault. From what he could surmise in looking at the group, there were twenty of them. As his eyes bled into a red state, he knew he was possibly biting off more than he could chew.

Then, however, one of them gasped, "Itachi Uchiha!" he cried. "No way in hell man. I'm going after the chick." With that, several of the men fled out the door – either in fear of him or in real duty to hunt down Sakura.

Sakura had just made it to the edge of the property when the alarm bells began to ring, and she felt a nervous twinge hit her when she realized Itachi had not yet emerged from the mansion. Should she go back? Was that her duty? Or should she allow the Akatsuki member who ruined _everything_ to die? No, she was a medic, she was a life preserver, and she knew she would surely be killed once Itachi was no longer alive. He was the reason why she was even with the Akatsuki in the first place, and immediately after his death, she would be killed off, at least she thought.

'Sakura? What's going on?' Kisame hissed in her ears. He and Tobi were a solid mile away and it would take them a few minutes to arrive. Another pang of guilt hit her chest – she should go back for Itachi. Although he was an amazingly skilled shinobi, Sakura had counted at least a dozen rogue ninja in the party, and if they confronted Itachi, they may even be too much for him – especially since he was hauling an unconscious Deidara with him.

"Come now. We've been caught," Sakura whispered back. She ran to a tree at the edge of the property where she had kept a bag full of essentials. Quickly, she stripped herself of the kimono and quickly yanked on her black tunic, tight black shorts, and red skirt. Fastening her borrowed ninja belt around her waist and grabbing the second one Itachi left for himself, she hopped back towards the mansion, fear and anxiety pricking at her body.

To her chagrin, there was a group of about five rogue ninja now looking straight at her, blood lust leaking from their eyes. Blood boiling in anticipation, Sakura pulled chakra into her fist and slammed it onto the ground, creating a fissure straight towards the shinobi. Her thoughts, her body was numb; only the heat of battle could fully cause Sakura to go into a blind state of focus and deadly force. Concentrating only on getting to Itachi so they could get the _hell_ out of there, she took the opportunity to jump past them and headed straight towards the doors as many of the surprised ninja fell into the ditch that was easily thirty feet deep – there was no way they would escape quickly anyway.

One of the shinobi, who had managed not to be trapped in the ditch, caught up with her, though, and was trying to incapacitate her by using a water jutsu. Sakura felt it coming and quickly dove out of the way; regaining her balance, she whipped around to see the man before her. Loading chakra into her fist, Sakura strikes out at the man's chest, but he dodges it easily. As she goes for a kunai, the man did the same and they met in the middle of a heated strike.

"Give it up, girly," the tall, lean, black-haired rogue ninja taunted. "You're in over your head."

"Not likely," she murmured with a smirk. Sakura jumped back, flipping towards the doors as she did so, she quickly performed a few hand signs for a medical ninjutsu. As it hit the shinobi's chest, he fell backwards in an unconscious heap. The jutsu blocked oxygen pathways towards the brain just long enough to incapacitate the person.

Now, she only needed to get passed the less-than-adequate security guards. Incapacitating the men quickly, Sakura found herself shocked at what she saw. First, she saw the blood red pinwheels of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Instinctively her body freezes in fear and she darts her eyes to look at the floor, where there is a group of fifteen shinobi, writhing in pain from the effects of the Sharingan. Another stab of fear runs through her, but she quickly realized that Itachi is now next to her and only his regular Sharingan is activated.

"We can leave. Where are the others that were after you?" Itachi asked stoically despite the pounding migraine that is pulsating through his head and down to his neck. Just as Sakura looks up at him, he winces a bit.

"In a ditch," Sakura replied. "Your eyes?"

"Nothing to worry about now," he replied shortly. Grabbing the still lifeless Deidara, yanking him over his shoulder, and turning to the kunoichi, he nods for them to leave. Trying to ignore the pain was more difficult now than ever because he had gone weeks without it. When each day, each battle, was an endless nightmare of blurred vision and horrid migraines, part of him was able to numb himself to it. Now that he had lived a life without it for a few weeks, it was difficult for him to readjust to the pain. Sakura merely turned back at him once more, giving him a worried look, and walked out of the door. The entire encounter only took a matter of three minutes, and Kisame and Tobi were just arriving.

"What the hell?" Kisame exclaimed, seeing the four shinobi in the ditch, another incapacitated by the door. "You're one scary broad. Speaking of which," Kisame muttered, walking over to Sakura, he snapped her chakra-sealing bracelets back on. Sakura just glared at him as he took Deidara from Itachi, who sagged lightly after ridding himself of the unwanted blond male.

"Let's go home!" Tobi exclaimed, hopping quickly into the forest. Screaming was still erupting from the civilians in the home who were still reeling at the fight that had broken out. Sakura ignored it though, as she glanced at a feigning Itachi again, and turned towards the gate. The others followed at a relatively relaxed pace, not thinking that any of the shinobi were who still able would come after them – four Akatsuki members plus a kunoichi that could create canyons in the ground.

Itachi was beginning to see black and purple spots cloud his vision as it often did after using the Mangekyō. Then the expected dizziness his and his body began to shake internally. This was different than his usual technique and fatigue because he had been forced to use it on fifteen different people at once, instead of the usual one or two. Also coming with the stress of this fight was tightness in his chest and a deep pounding of his heart. Had he forgotten to take his medication today? No, he had definitely taken it, but it must have been the exertion of using his ultimate technique that caused his body to rapture like this.

Sakura was staring at him curiously as they continued their journey, a little bit of worry emerging in her body. Not that she was worried about the Uchiha, no, never would she actually _care_ if he was in pain; but worried about all of her hard work going to waste (yes, that was the only reason why she was worried, she tried to convince herself). Then, Itachi's steps faltered ever so slightly, and he began coughing as he braced himself on a tree next to him.

"Itachi?" Kisame asked, throwing the now semi-conscious Deidara to the ground. "You alright?"

Itachi managed to nod but he slipped next to the tree so he was sitting with his back against it, panting heavily. Sakura was instantly at his side, staring at him carefully. Then, she whispered, "Go, take Deidara. We'll meet up with you. This may take a while."

Kisame snorted a bit, "You think we'd trust you to do that?"

Sakura bit her lip thoughtfully, "I won't hurt him. He's too pathetic looking."

Itachi's hand darted out and grabbed the kunoichi by the throat, giving her a deadly look through his clouded red eyes. She only smirked back smugly at him, "That was for leaving me to be groped by Tanaka."

Itachi only hissed a bit in response, but he nodded to Kisame to leave. Kisame huffed, but him and Tobi continued on the path, lugging Deidara with them.

"Can you move?" Sakura asked quietly, suddenly a little nervous to be alone with the Uchiha; perhaps she shouldn't have made a crack about him being pathetic earlier. She was sure he could still kill her, even in his weakened state. He merely inclined his head, but Sakura braced her arms under his elbows to pull him to his feet; much like he had done for her a few days previous.

Sakura led them a few hundred feet, clumsily, into the woods where there was a stream and a little more sunlight so she could better assess what was happening. Dawn was barely breaking behind the trees in the early morning hours, and it was necessary to find a place she could see more clearly. After a few minutes of walking and observing the landscape, she eased him onto another tree so he could relax a bit, but another coughing fit ensued and Sakura could only wait for it to pass.

The entirety of Itachi's body felt as if it were about to combust. His heart beat was completely irregular due to his little condition, his lungs felt as if they were about to pop in the most agonizingly slow way, and the migraine that had begun earlier only continued to trouble him. On top of that, he was now fully aware of the fact that the medic-nin was straddling his legs to attempt to better heal him. This was not the sitting room where they both had cushions to rest on and separate them. This was a forest, and the only way she could properly heal him was in this position. At least, that's what he deduced by the fact that she was now leaning over him completely.

"I'll heal your eyes, first," she whispered as her cool, healing chakra touched his temples. He jerked a bit at the contact but her grip was persistent. In less than a few minutes, the pain had ebbed in his head and his vision was beginning to focus a little more. "Better?" she asked.

Itachi inclined his head, but he didn't open his eyes. To his shock, dismay, disbelief, and a whole sort of other words of that nature, her cold hands were not at the base of his throat, undoing the buttons to his dress shirt. His hand shot up and grasped her wrists, hard, as he glared at her suspiciously. Sakura seemed to be taken aback by his sudden actions, but she did not move to back away. Itachi could feel her pulse quicken at the sudden movement and he could tell she was frightened and uncomfortable.

"I have to examine your lungs so I can stop the coughing," she murmured, casting her eyes down.

"No," he stated.

Her eyes looked straight into his, surprised by his dissent. The sun was now beginning to fully make its way into the sky and was forming right behind Sakura. Damn him to hell if he couldn't admit that she looked amazingly ethereal with the light encasing her pink locks, now disheveled and falling from their previous bun. The sunshine only managed to make her eyes brighter and more expressive. Deep within him, an urge coursed through his body, but he resisted as he grimaced to himself. His breath stopped as she pulled herself a little closer to him so she was now on the upper part of his thighs and her face was only a few inches from him. Holding his breath was a mistake, though, as it caused another fit.

Sakura pulled back, looking slightly bemused, and stated, "See. You need me to heal your lungs!" Itachi only gave one terse nod as she unbuttoned his shirt without further question.

The first thought Sakura had when she placed her cool hands on Itachi was that he was _gorgeous_. His body was the perfect balance of lean muscle and subtle strength that had always drawn her in. Shaking the inappropriate and fully traitorous thoughts away, she ran a course of diagnostic chakra through him, and she gasped.

His lungs were _ravaged_ with infection. She noted bronchitis, pneumonia, and several upper respiratory infections were plaguing him, or had been in the past and had never fully left. Then she noticed the irregular heart beat so she pushed some more chakra into his heart and she stopped, drawing her arms back, and she stared at him wide-eyes.

"You're dying," she breathed out. Itachi only nodded knowingly. "You have a hole in your heart and a deformity in your left ventricle. That causes your immune system to weaken which is why your lungs look like that of an 80-year-old habitual smoker." Itachi only nodded again.

Sakura sighed and pulled herself off of him, his black eyes following her figure cautiously. "Inbreeding," he managed to choke out.

Sakura looked back up at him, eyes full of something that Itachi didn't like – was that pity and sympathy he saw? The worst part was the complete _caring _he saw in her – she _cared_ for him in this moment – however fleeting it was. Sakura sighed again, seemingly deep in thought. Her entire face looked like it was a billboard for confusion and conflict. Finally, after several minutes of sitting in silence, she asked, "Would you like me to cure you?"

X

In one of his few moments of complete and utter loss of control, Neji Hyuuga slammed the door to the ICU at Konoha's hospital wide open. It hit the wall with a crack and he stomped up to the main desk. "Why am I here?" he hissed. The poor nurse behind the counter squeaked in fright at the man before her, but this did not stop his uncharacteristic tirade. "I was in the middle of looking for Haruno Sakura, a captured ninja, but I got called back here, and was ordered to come to the hospital in order to talk to the Hokage. Now where is she?"

"Neji, calm down," Genma ordered; him and the rest of the search and rescue team filed into the room with him. Once they had received the order from Tsunade to return immediately, Neji had effectively flung himself into a state of anger so great that he still was not calm. The entire one-day trip back, the Hyuuga had properly left his team and sprung ahead.

"I'm right here, Hyuuga. Come in here, all of you. There's something I'd like you to see," Tsunade called from the other side of the ward, standing near an open door. Neji glided past the desk and walked into the room, only for him to stop dead at what he saw.

"Hyuuga," Sasuke Uchiha acknowledged from his hospital bed on the other side of the room. Naruto and Kakashi were both standing by the windowsill, regarding him wordlessly. The apprehension of what Neji may do was etched in Naruto's cerulean eyes.

Neji's Byakugan activated instantly as he scanned the Uchiha. Then, in one swoop, he stood next to the Uchiha. Grabbing him by the neck of his hospital attire, Neji yanked him out of the bed and slammed him against the wall. Kakashi and Naruto were at his sides instantly, holding onto Neji's arms to keep him from sending the Uchiha into the next room.

"Where is she?" Neji hissed, blind rage incorrigibly racing through his system. Sasuke merely smirked in an arrogant response to the sudden violation of his personal space. "I see her chakra all over you, Uchiha, now you tell me where she is before I end your family line right here and now."

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed and his lips tilted downward. "Why do you care where she is?" he asked emphatically.

"Sasuke," Ino gasped as she finally entered the room. "She's our best friend. Please, we need to find her."

Neji regarded the Uchiha with a silent glare when he realized something, "She healed your eyes, didn't she?" Sasuke didn't respond, so Neji pulled back and pushed him against the wall harder. "Well did she?"

"She may have," Sasuke said. "Why does it matter?"

Tsunade gasped a bit with realization. Pride for her student suddenly welled so fully within her that she thought she just may burst, and the urge to hug her student tight filled her, only to be quelled by the remembrance that she could not hug her apprentice at the moment. Next time she saw her, she would. "Neji, Ino…that jutsu you all created."

Ino gaped, disbelief with something else engulfing her features. Was that excitement in her eyes? "We never finished it. It was too hard at the time."

"She did it. I know she did," Neji said, a smile now emerging on his face, as his rage was replaced with comprehension and anticipation. Slowly, he allowed Sasuke to slide so that his feet were touching the ground. "Ino."

"Right!" Ino said excitedly, racing to Neji's side. Slowly, she began to perform a series of seals. Her eyebrows furrowed, trying to remember the exact sequences as they had not practiced the jutsu in months. When she finished, she placed her palm lightly onto Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke sighed deeply, all of the breath suddenly leaving his body.

Then, his body went completely limp and the only thing holding him up was Neji. As the shift happened, Sasuke's usual onyx eyes began to glow bright green, matching the color of Sakura's chakra perfectly. Neji stepped aside, and Sasuke's now green orbs began to shine and a tiny figure of Sakura appeared right in front of him, about a foot away – his eyes acting as a projector. There was an audible gasp in the room as the entire group of shinobi stared in awe.

'_Hello there!' _the projection of Sakura called out cheerily. _'I really hoped this worked. If it did, then Neji-kun, Ino-pig, we're geniuses!' _The small, green illumination of Sakura waved a bit in triumph. _'It also means I'm probably not dead as I was able to get Sasuke to you. I hope you're happy, Naruto, because I only did it for you. Anyway, I only have a few seconds as the Akatsuki are all staring at me, waiting for me to make a move. I'd like to explain myself a bit. I'm healing Uchiha Itachi's eyes for him in exchange for the fact that he let Kakashi free, unharmed. I know you're all probably really mad at me, but I did it of my own volition. There are some other reasons why I'm choosing to stay with them and help them for a bit. Everything I do is to protect you guys, so please allow me to do this. However…' _

Sakura's tiny face contorted uncomfortably, _'That doesn't mean I don't want to come home…if you catch my drift. I'm not sure how long they will keep me around or keep me alive after I'm done healing Itachi's eyes. My guess would be not long as I've gained invaluable information about their organization…so, Neji-kun…' _Neji's face tightened visibly. _'I'll let you rescue me, just this once, okay?' _the projection of Sakura smiled sadly at him and Neji's heart jumped at the inside joke they shared. _'I love you all and I hope to see you soon. Take care.'_

The green chakra in Sasuke's eyes began to flicker, and very quickly Sakura was gone and Sasuke jerked awake instantly, a hiss leaving his mouth as he gasped for air. Neji let go of him, striding out of the room quickly, not wanting everyone to see the pain he was in. "What the hell was that?" Sasuke hissed angrily.

"It was a technique Sakura, Neji, and I created. It allows you to infuse your own chakra into someone else so that they are able to get messages to and from people without raising suspicion. Sakura chose to act like she was healing you in order to get her message to us," Ino explained quietly, tears pricking the sides of her eyes. "We're trying to figure out ways to do it with simple things like a ninjutsu, or in Neji's case, the use of a kekkai genkai."

"She _used _me?" Sasuke spat, anger contorting his face.

"Did it hurt Uchiha?" Kiba retorted angrily from the other side of the room. He was quickly closing the distance between him and Sasuke and Naruto had to step in the way. "Because you've been using her for so long and we're the ones who were here to piece her broken heart back together. So don't you dare…" Kiba trailed off as he turned to leave the room. Ino followed.

Genma was the last person in the room, "We'll set back out in search for Sakura."

"We were in Earth Country when we fought…towards the eastern border. But they seemed to be preparing to travel," Sasuke murmured quietly, brows furrowed, deep in thought. Genma simply nodded and left the room so it was only Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, and Tsunade.

Naruto sighed, "Jeez, teme, you sure know how to piss people off."

"Shut up, dobe," was Sasuke's instinctive reply, but a smirk appeared on his lips at the sheer _rightness_ of saying that. Finally, though, he turned up and looked at Naruto puzzled. "Why was Hyuuga so pissed off? Why did he care so much about where Sakura was?"

Naruto placed his hands at the back of his head lightly, allowing it to rest there. "They were engaged."

X

Well, this wasn't what she was expecting. Back against a tree, and a very angry Uchiha looming over her, holding her by both of her shoulders. Sakura instinctively dropped her gaze from his red, furious eyes in a moment of absolute terror. He barked, in a moment of complete uncharacteristic anger, "Do not make offers you cannot backup, Sakura."

First, she was stunned by the lack of title at the end of her name, and then she was shocked that he doubted her. Indignantly, she furrowed her eyebrows and brought her gaze up to meet his, she said ferociously, "I can heal your condition, _Itachi._"

"Every doctor I've seen since I was five has told me I have a terminal heart condition, and I would be dead by twenty," he bit back. Now, though, he was backing off of her for he had not anticipated such contact. Only medications and sheer force of will had kept him alive these three extra years, waiting for his brother to kill him.

"Yes, well you never have asked me," she muttered, smoothing her top back out, trying to distract herself from the fact that Itachi's shirt was completely unbuttoned, and although that moment had been terrifying, it had also been slightly distracting. Damn those 18-year-old-girl hormones.

"Why," he wheezed, suppressing another coughing fit, "Do you think you're any different?"

Sakura looked absolutely furious. Standing abruptly, she jumped to her feet, and was in the course of walking away from the Uchiha when his hand snatched hers and he pulled her back down. However, she had fallen at an unsuspected angle and ended up falling right into his lap, which was now folded Indian-style.

Outwardly, Itachi stayed unfazed, but inwardly he was cursing the fact that he was male and the fact that he had no control over a certain body part of his. Sakura had not seen how affected he was from her straddling his legs earlier, or the fact that it grew worse when she'd unbuttoned his shirt. Then, after announcing his heart condition, she had been painfully slow at pulling herself off of his lap which resulted in a very taut portion of his pants. In a very uncharacteristic fit of anger, Itachi had then pinned her down underneath him, only making his physical desire of her increase. Now, here she was, sitting in his lap.

Sakura made to move, but he held her close, fearing that if she moved, she would feel his desire for her body. "Answer the question," he commanded, keeping one hand on her wrist, the other firmly on her waist.

"Let go of me!" she yelled angrily, her face flushing at their proximity. She began to wriggle herself free, unknowingly causing an even bigger problem for Itachi down south. Despite the fact that she was angry, her mind was running wild. She did not need inner-Sakura here for her entire body to gush at the proximity of an open-shirted Uchiha.

"Not until you tell me why you even think you could heal me," he replied, regaining his cool demeanor as he grasped her tighter, ending her attempts to get free.

"Why should I?" she hissed. "You doubt my abilities."

"If I doubted your abilities I would not allow you to touch my eyes," he replied shortly. Sakura scrunched up her nose at him (_adorable_, he thought, _no no no no no no_), trying to figure out his reasoning. If it was not a question of her abilities, then what was it?

"You require a medic who can rebuild muscle tissue in order to mend your heart and lungs," Sakura stated, trying to coax the answers out of him.

"Yes, I'm aware," he replied, waiting for further explanation. Sakura merely stared at him. Then, he stated dryly, "I was under the impression that was impossible."

She snorted, "Almost."

"Almost?"

"Only three people that we know of, in the entire world, can do that," Sakura replied, now looking away from his face, waiting for it to click.

And it did, "The Godaime Hokage and her two apprentices."

"Yes," she barked. "Yet another example of how _you've _ruined almost every aspect of my life."

"Oh?" Itachi raised an eyebrow at her.

"Let me go and I'll explain," Sakura muttered.

"No. You'll explain right here," he replied callously. Really, he was trying to fluster the girl because he found her temper quiet endearing, all previous problems of his affections being thrown out the window. Another part of him was trying to gain some control over a particular part of his body as not to further upset the girl.

"Why?"

"Perhaps I don't want you to move," Itachi replied, teasing the kunoichi, whose face turned bright red at the insinuation. Was Uchiha Itachi _flirting_ with her? What's his angle, anyway?

For a moment, she just stared at him. Finally, she jerked back, pulling herself completely off of him, "Sorry I've been manhandled enough for one day."

Itachi merely raised another brow at her and allowed an amused smirk to cross his lips. Then, he demanded, "Now give me another example of how I've ruined your life, please."

Sakura bit her lip, eyes deceiving how much the memory really haunted her, and Itachi felt something boil within him. Then, she said, "It's your fault that I was captured and tortured by Orochimaru."

* * *

AN: So once again, this chapter didn't go exactly where I'd expected it to. There was another event that I wanted to hash out before the whole "Orochimaru captured and tortured me" talk, but I think this will flow better. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and to my Blue Jays fans, there will be a new chapter either tonight sometime or tomorrow!


	9. With Longing

AN: This chapter actually took me more sessions to write than most before. I guess I'm just not sure I like the low. Let me know what you think, okay? I feel it's a bit too choppy for my liking. Anyway, thank you for reading! Please review!

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 9: With Longing**

* * *

"_The sea always filled her with longing, though for what she was never sure." _

― _Cornelia Funke, Inkheart_

* * *

As the sun was now beginning to peak itself beyond the trees, the small clearing near the stream was silent with the exception being the birds that were wildly indicating that a new day had begun. Sakura Haruno stared with strong, defiant jade eyes at the Uchiha in front of her, who was regarding her with a stoic face, not making a sound. Her entire body was the epitome of tense – shoulders scrunched, back braced, eyebrows furrowed, and hands clenched in white-knuckled fists on her knees that were crossed in front of here, mere inches away from the Uchiha's.

Uchiha Itachi was silent for a moment as his analytical mind ran through every possibility of what the kunoichi could possibly mean. How could she possibly blame him for her own capture by the snake sannin? This was surely a stretch. There were countless other events that he could be blamed for by her, but his supposedly genius mind was having a difficult time fathoming how he could have possibly caused this incident in the girl's life.

Inclining his head by a fraction of an inch, he says evenly, "Do tell."

Sakura's eyes widen for a moment, but they quickly return to their previous state of slight anxiety mixed with passive-aggression. However, she does not speak to him as the memories are rolling over in her head tumultuously. Emotions betraying her, a silent tear makes its way to the corner of her eye, but it does not fall. It will not fall – she won't let it.

"It's no longer important," she replied darkly.

"I disagree," was his adamant response. "If you are holding me accountable for something I don't understand my role in, I deserve to at least know the circumstances."

Sakura released a long breath and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. Knowing that bridging this subject to the Uchiha was a mistake and was leaving her vulnerable did not sit well with the girl in the least. Finally, after regaining some semblance of mind, trying to keep a flat and even tone, she said, "I should not have brought the subject up. I do not wish to speak of it."

When she braced her arms on the ground to pull herself up, Itachi's hands were quick to grab her wrists, urging her down. "Tell me," he commanded.

Sakura scrunched her brow at him fully, angry emerald eyes trying to pierce into his now onyx orbs. "No."

"Then I hope you like it here, Sakura, because we aren't leaving until you clarify your earlier…accusation," he explained evenly, not allowing his grip on the kunoichi to weaken in any way.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything!" she huffed heatedly.

"Once again we are at a disagreement," he whispered dangerously. "Now talk."

"Fine," she hissed. Her eyes changed from a furious scowl to that of an expression Itachi could only imagine on a kicked puppy as the memories seemed to churn within her right before his eyes. "Only three people in the entire world can fabricate body tissues using medical chakra."

"Yourself, the Godaime Hokage, and her other apprentice," Itachi noted; Sakura nodded in return.

"However, five years ago when Orochimaru first approached Tsunade-shishou about healing his arms, she refused, albeit tentatively," Sakura continued. Her jade eyes were fixed to Itachi's and something sparked within the onyx depths of his mind as the true understanding of her words came to him.

"Aa," he stated. "So the snake sannin captured you in order to fulfill the task of healing his arms; arms which I cut off in a battle with him."

A slight inclination of Sakura's head was all he received in response, but then her eyes lightened a bit and she began to chuckle softly. Well, Itachi was surely confused although his face did not betray this. Nothing of his previous statement had been said in a joking or teasing matter at all. Perhaps the kunoichi really did suffer from some sort of mental ailment – first her inner personality and now she was laughing to herself at what he would assume is an incredibly painful memory.

"I suppose now I was just blaming you because I wanted to," she clarified as her light laughter died down, "Because you were to blame for all of my other problems. I suppose now I see that it's probably unfair of me to make such a loose link to you although I would have never been captured if you hadn't cut of Orochimaru's arms."

"I fail to see the humor," Itachi remarked.

"Oh, stop it. It's a little funny. Plus we were having such a lovely conversation. Don't ruin it with your social impediment," Sakura continued.

"Do not accuse me of having a social disorder, kunoichi. I could still kill you," he retorted darkly.

Sakura's eyes were still bright with joy when she replied, "That would surely not be in your best favor, Itachi."

Suddenly Sakura began to wonder when she and the mass-murdering probable-sociopath had come to know each other on such a basis that she dropped any honorific title from his name, and he seemed to be doing the same. This very train of thought led her somewhere else – Itachi didn't seem like a mass-murdering-sociopath. In fact, he seemed to generate quite a bit of emotion behind his eyes although he'd like to pretend otherwise. He had even said it in the forest after her confrontation with Sasuke – he regretted killing his family and the despair and confusion that had flickered in his face for the briefest of moments had been _real_. No matter how talented of a liar he may be, no matter how skilled a shinobi, there was no faking that.

Sakura continued to observe Itachi closely. The once strong grip on her wrist had faltered and faded slightly although he still left his firm, calloused fingers around her wrists. He was staring at her with equal inquisition, as if trying to read her soul through her eyes, and they were now leaning in to each other so their faces were a few inches apart. As Sakura pulled herself backwards, stretching her previously tense spine, she decided the Uchiha required further study for she felt that there was something lurking deep within him – a truth that had not yet come to the surface; a truth that could help Konoha keep the Akatsuki away from Naruto, and that truth would be worth dying for.

"Perhaps not," he muttered quietly. "I also fail to see how a conversation about what is possibly one of the most traumatic experiences in your life could be considered pleasant."

Sakura shrugged noncommittally as she pulled herself up so she was standing with Itachi quickly following suit. "I guess it wasn't the subject matter that was pleasant, just the conversation itself," she indulged as she slowly knocked the dirt from her pants.

"Aa," was his response. Sakura's eyebrow ticked in annoyance automatically and Itachi allowed the wisps of an amused smirk to play his features. The way she let her emotions control her completely was always something that Kisame and Deidara seemed to use to their advantages for entertainment purposes, and Itachi was now beginning to see their reasoning – it was really quite comical indeed. Sakura quickly realized that his lack of response was a way to tease her and she turned in a huff. Then, suddenly, as if remembering something, she whipped back around; however, Itachi had been following her closely so she smacked right into him.

"Ouch," she hissed although Itachi didn't make a sound. Rubbing a sore spot on her head where it had theoretically collided with his collar bone, she looked up at him warily. "I forgot to soothe your lungs so we can make the trip back. I only diagnosed them."

"Aa." Sakura's eyes went cross at the lack of response. Chakra covered palms slowly and unsurely made their way to Itachi's still bare chest (as he had never re-buttoned his shirt). Pushing a bit of soothing chakra into his upper torso, she heard him sigh in relief. Although she couldn't completely heal all of the infections with the minute amount of chakra she was allowed, she would be able to make their journey back to whatever base they were going to. "You seem to like to undress Uchiha men, Sakura."

The statement came as such a shock to Sakura that she actually squeaked and pulled her hands back, face turning a deep shade of red. Shaking it off, she turned indignant eyes to meet his very amused ones. "Well there's nothing better around here," she retorted.

"Back home, perhaps?" he asked, trying to get a rise. But her face flashed with a sudden sadness and regret that made Itachi's entire idea of teasing her falter. Her hands clenched a little as she remembered something, her face paling as she gulped down whatever emotions were now consuming her.

"No, not back home either," she responded quietly. Then her hands removed themselves.  
"Better?"

"Aa."

"Good now let's go catch up with the others," she whispered as she turned away. Itachi was about to ask her if she was feel alright when she looked back at him, the happiness returning to her eyes as she quipped what inner-Sakura would accuse as a big fat lie, "And button your shirt up. No one wants to look at _that_."

X

"Engaged?" Sasuke echoed warily. Naruto turned to look at him, his expression going slightly sour. Tsunade had left the room on Hokage business, leaving just the three remaining members of Team Seven. That didn't include the four ANBU guards stationed outside of Sasuke's door to ensure his placement in Konoha was permanent.

"Yeah and Sakura-chan was really excited about it too, but the Hyuuga clan has really high expectations for its' women who marry into the family, one of which being that the wives are expected to quit any jobs they may have to tend to the house and children," Naruto explained, his voice even and serious now.

"Hn," was Sasuke's reply, understanding why the relationship didn't work out immediately. Although he may not have known Sakura well over the past few years, his encounters with her had shown him fully how talented a kunoichi she was and how much she loved it. "She wasn't willing to give up being a shinobi."

"Well not exactly," Kakashi muttered from behind his usual choice of reading material, pretending to be disinterested. However the entire situation with his pink-haired solo female student troubled him deeply. _She is my favorite student, after all_. He joked to himself, inwardly, albeit a little bitterly. The almost one month absence of Sakura was beginning to strain everything in his relatively secluded world. Everyone the copy-nin knew or socialized with was also a friend of Sakura's, and the entire group was taking her capture incredibly hard.

Naruto and Sasuke began to talk about her relationship with Neji, as Sasuke saw it as an odd coupling. Naruto joked that he was just a nicer, stronger, and better looking version of Sasuke who Sakura used to love too. However, he did grant Sasuke a little insight on Sakura's relationship with the Hyuuga. One day after a mission together, Sakura just started training with the Hyuuga. Then it seemed to progress steadily from there into what one would expect of a shinobi relationship. The courtship began, and then they were engaged a few months later, and the wedding planning begun almost instantly. The best part about it was that Sakura was so _happy_ – truly happy for the first time since Sasuke defected.

"Sakura-chan was willing to give up being a kunoichi," Naruto continued. Sasuke's eyes widened at this revelation – it seemed so _not_ Sakura, "But she really didn't want to and Neji knew that, so he broke off the engagement with her, explaining that one day she would grow to resent him and that they should just be friends. He said he couldn't bare it if Sakura felt bitter about him and their life together one day because his stupid family made her give up her passion."

"Aa," Sasuke said, furrowing his brows and staring at his clenched fists that were resting on his legs.

"She was crushed," Kakashi noted, coming from his own dazed thoughts on Sakura. Sasuke looked at him, but Kakashi's eyes never left the page that he was reading from. Yet, the copy-nin didn't seem to be reading but seemed to be thinking about something instead. Then his book lowered and his one visible eye crinkled. "It's all in the past now."

"Is it?" Sasuke asked sounding unconvinced. "The Hyuuga seemed as if he were ready to kill me for information about her."

Kakashi chuckled a bit. "I suppose their deep…connection…to one and other will never cease, but their relationship as romantic partners is now definitively over. If I'm not mistaken, Neji's uncle has called for an arranged marriage for the young man. He didn't object."

"But Neji refuses to get married until Sakura is back and safe," Naruto continued. "He just said Sakura should be there."

"It's different here now," Sasuke muttered, reclining back in his bed. He sighed silently to himself. Being sent back here wasn't part of this plan at all. The last thing he needed was the stupid dobe to follow him around like a dog now that he was back; it would only make an escape harder. If he could escape, that is. The hokage said that he would soon be put under strenuous interrogations before going into trial.

The slug sannin said that at very best he would be under house arrest for several years, his chakra would be sealed for twice that time, and he would be stripped of all shinobi status. That was his best hope. The other extreme is he would be executed; however, he doubted that would happen. The Sharingan belonged in Konoha and the village wanted that particular blood-line back. Kakashi had guessed that it would be somewhere between the two.

As if reading his thoughts, a firm, commanding knock echoed from the door. Inoichi Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino walked in silently. Kakashi stood from where he was leaning on the wall and waved to Sasuke, "See you later."

Naruto glanced once more at Sasuke before leaving the door, gave him a reassuring smile, and walked out. Stupid Naruto, he didn't need his reassurances. "Let's go Uchiha," Ibiki stated, pulling him to his feet, strapping chakra cuffs on him, and led him out of the room silently.

X

"Hey what took you two so long, yeah?" Deidara asked as Sakura and Itachi began to approach the group. "We were just about to come back to find you, yeah. We thought the kunoichi may have killed you, Itachi-san."

Itachi merely stared at the blond ninja silently, but Sakura quickly shoved past him to greet the group. "I don't think I could do that even if Itachi was half dead," she joked, turning back to meet the eyes of said Uchiha, who just observed her wordlessly.

"Put this on, kid. We're right outside of Wind Country and the last thing we need is for you to be recognized," Kisame ordered as he threw the girl her temporary Akatsuki robe and bamboo hat. Sakura huffed but did so without question. Really, she didn't want to wear this stupid thing and have others think that she was part of the Akatsuki. But…it was very warm and fall was quickly approaching. "We're heading to the base in Lightning Country," Kisame announced.

"Lightning Country?" Sakura echoed. That was further than she's ever been from Konoha without her team. The thought made her uneasy.

"Yes we're going to travel north through Earth Country and then take a barge to Lightning Country. There are some things that we all need to do there, and let me remind you that you're a hostage, and you have to come," Kisame continued gruffly. Sakura huffed again and stormed past them in a rage. Itachi surmised it would only last a few minutes before she calmed down and attempted to make conversation with either Deidara or Kisame.

"If we're going through Earth Country that means we'll be right by Iwa. Screw you guys I'm not going anywhere near that place, yeah," Deidara protested as the rest of them began to walk.

"You can fly in an arch once we cross the border," Itachi intoned, not wanting to even begin to argue. He would never admit it, but Deidara was right – it would be the equivalent of him strolling next to the gates of Konoha and not expecting to be attacked. The move would be foolish to say the least.

"Fine, yeah," Deidara snorted but if one listened close enough, you could hear his sigh of relief.

Two full days of travel later, only breaking briefly for rest and food, and the group of Akatsuki was rapidly approaching the coast of Earth Country. With each step Sakura took, she became more and more wary. Earth Country was only two days' travel from Fire Country, but Lightning Country was a solid week away from her home. The thought of going that far and not leaving a direct path for her comrades to find her made her very uneasy.

Deidara managed to quell some of her troubles as he was the only source of good conversation most of the way there. As they got close to Iwa, he took off on his bird to take a different path, leaving the group effectively silent. Sakura noted that at home Kisame was much more relaxed and conversational, but on their travels he stayed as silent as the Uchiha. Even Tobi didn't offer much solace so Sakura was left with her thoughts and internal conversations with…no one.

Earth Country was quickly turning from sparse woods and large rocky outcrops to a thicker, denser forest as landscapes often did when water was near, showing the group that they would soon arrive at the coast. The cold, snappy fall winds from Rock Country were now absorbed by the forests, giving a little ease to the frigid air.

Itachi stopped and then turned back to face Kisame, giving him a knowing nod.

All of a sudden, in less time than Sakura could possibly even comprehend what was going on, Kisame's arm was snagged around her waist and he pulled them into a rocky cave that was about twenty feet away from the path they were travelling on. Sakura took a moment to note that both Itachi and Tobi were absent from the cave, but she sensed them closer to the path hiding in the woods. Sakura gave Kisame a questioning look, but he simply nodded his head in the direction of the path. "Mask your chakra. Now," was his stern, whispered command. Sakura complied and kept her eyes fixed on the trail.

Then she sensed the chakra signatures that were walking the opposite direction on the path then Sakura's group had been – south, towards Konoha. As they got closer the identities of the ninja were revealed to her, "No," she whispered and her body jerked upwards as she tried to get out of the cave.

Kisame's hand went up quickly to grab her wrist, pulling her down, and his other arm was wrapped around her head so his hand rested tensely over her mouth. "Do not make me snap your neck, kid. I really don't want to," he whispered gruffly. Sakura merely nodded as tears began to fall down her face.

First, Sakura saw Team Ebisu make their way around the winding path into view, and then she heard Konohamaru's ecstatic voice, apparently excited about the mission they were coming home from. The only thing Sakura could do was shake her head as tears fell down her face. Heart sinking into her stomach, she prayed they would not sense them there. This was not the team Tsunade would send for her, and therefore they were not tracking her or looking out for her.

The team continued on the path until they passed where Itachi and Tobi were hiding when Moegi stopped suddenly, her orange pig-tails bouncing as she did so, and looked around. _No, Moegi, just go. Please. _The fifteen year olds were only chunin and Ebisu, while an amazing ninja, could not handle four Akatsuki on his own.

"What is it Moegi?" Udon asked, turning towards her. The solo kunoichi on the team just shook her head, seemingly bewildered.

"I felt like I sensed Sakura-senpai for a minute and I caught a whiff of strawberry, like her shampoo," Moegi replied, her voice trailing in the wind. The tears were now streaming steadily down Sakura's face, and Ebisu ran over to his student, taking her shoulders in his hands.

"Are you certain, Moegi?" he asked harshly, his guard now up as he scanned the surrounding outcrop. The implications were enormous – Sakura had been captured by the Akatsuki, and if she was around, then they were nearby. Moegi just nodded her head. The team leader scanned the surrounding areas closely. Just as his eyes met Sakura's in the outcrop, his eyebrows rose behind his sunglasses in complete recognition, and then he began to shake. Uchiha Itachi stepped from his hiding place, met the eye of the jounin as he began to scream.

Sakura did the only thing she could think of – in a split second she clamped her teeth down on Kisame's hand who grunted at the pain, elbowed him with what chakra she could muster right in the ribs, and flung herself out of the cave as quickly as she could, discarding her Akatsuki apparel. "Moegi, Udon, Konohamaru, run!" she commanded as she made her way to the battlefield, but the trio stood there, petrified in place. Kisame had now caught up to Sakura only ten yards away from where the chunin stood, and his large arm wrapped threateningly around her neck. Sakura's eyes and voice were pleading, "Itachi let him go, please."

The Uchiha merely looked up at Sakura but he released him from his genjutsu. The man fell silent but he was still unconscious as he would remain for a while – most did after suffering such a trauma. The chunin were now looking at Sakura fully. Moegi finally said, "Sakura-senpai? Is it really you?"

Tears were still falling from jade orbs and Sakura was trembling, but she managed to reply, "Yes it's me. Kisame please let me go. I won't run. Don't hurt them, please," she begged at Itachi and Kisame, "they are only 15 years old and only chunin. Please."

"Sakura-san, why are you with them?" Udon asked quizzically.

"She's a hostage, kid," Kisame replied but he loosened his grip on the kunoichi. To Sakura's dismay, Konohamaru snorted and laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Sakura-san can't be a hostage," he said, sobering a bit to the situation.

"Konohamaru," Sakura said with the most warning she could muster in her voice. "Be quiet."

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked, his attention now fully on the chunin. "Tell me or I will kill you." Sakura could tell the threat was more for her than for the kids, telling her not to interfere with the answer. Judging by the curt tone Itachi was taking, he would be having words with her later for this situation. That is insinuating that they would all survive the situation – Sakura would have to make sure to guarantee that outcome first.

Konohamaru pointed at Sakura fully. "It looks like besides the shark, the only thing you have on her are chakra restraints."

"Yes. They have worked so far," Itachi replied coolly. Konohamaru snorted with laughter again, sounding much to like Naruto. Really, most self-respecting ninja would find themselves absolutely quaking in fear at this situation. Not Konohamaru – he only manages to find the stupidity of others amusing. Sakura narrowed her eyes as she took a few steps from Kisame. He allowed her to go, but he grunted when she got more than three feet away, telling her to stop there.

Konohamaru continued, ignoring Sakura's withering stare, "Chakra binds don't work on Sakura-san."

Silence, all she heard was silence and her heart jump into her chest as she turned to face the three Akatsuki, moving back slightly. Itachi turned his very, very angry glare at her. "Sakura?" he asked, voice dripping with fury.

Sakura shrugged, her hands facing the sky and moving up as if she didn't know what they were talking about, but then there were eight simultaneous puffs of smoke and they all fell off. "Oops, forgot to mention that," she muttered innocently, but she sent a very pointed look at Konohamaru that said 'you are in so much trouble when I get home.'

"If Deidara-senpai was here, he would blow Sakura-san up," Tobi piped, joining the conversation for the first time.

Sakura smiled guiltily at them as her hand went to the back of her neck and she peeled the small chunk of clay off. "Doesn't work either, guys, if we're all being honest here."

"What?" Kisame asked angrily. "You mean you could have escaped this whole time?"

Sakura merely nodded shamefacedly again. Udon spoke hesitantly, "Yes especially at full power, Sakura-san can transport herself fifty miles in any direction – a very good head start indeed."

"Fifty-miles?!" Kisame sputtered with incredulity. Once again, Sakura merely nodded.

"Sakura-senpai," Moegi murmured, her voice tentative and frightened, "Why don't you just come home then?"

Sakura looked at the trio remorsefully, but then her gaze went back to the calming Uchiha. "Can I? I won't run, I promise. You can even listen," she asked. Itachi gave her a curt nod. Sakura walked over to the team and crouched in front of them. "Remember last year when you asked me why I do the things that I do?"

The trio nodded. "Remember the reasons I gave you?" Another synched nod was their answer. "Good. Now I made a deal, and as an honorable shinobi I cannot go back on my word. Also, there are other reasons why I need to stay with the Akatsuki a little while longer – you know the reasons. Do you understand now?"

The three nodded but a single tear leaked down Moegi's cheek. Sakura wiped it off dutifully. "Has Shizune been helping you with your medic training since I've been gone?" she asked the chunin, who responded by nodding. The girl couldn't seem to make words in her emotional state. "Good. I'm sure you're getting better by the day. Oh, one more thing…"

Sakura pulled herself up and ran to her discarded Akatsuki robe and pulled out a small orange box with black ribbon laced around it. "I was going to mail this once I got into the next town, but I trust you to deliver it for me. It's Naruto's birthday gift." She held the small package out to Konohamaru who took it shakily, but it was swiped out of his hand.

Sakura squeaked as she had not sensed the Uchiha approach her. "Itachi, give it back. You were with me when I bought it!"

"I was," he replied, studying the box. "I was merely making sure you had not laced it with a chakra message. I believe allowing you one was more than enough."

Sakura's retort was cut off completely as what he had said sunk in. He had sensed that? "Oh that…yeah," she muttered back. Thankfully, Itachi quickly replaced the box in the chunin's hands.

"Take Ebisu and find a cave to hide out in until he wakes up. If he's…not well when he awakes then send a message to Konoha to have you extracted," Sakura said responsibly and commandingly.

"Yes Sakura-san," they echoed.

"Oh, Sakura-san, there's one more thing you should know…" Konohamaru stated warily before they turned to leave. The kunoichi had already pulled back on her Akatsuki robe. She simply raised a brow at him, urging him to continue. "It's Neji-san…he um… he's engaged. I guess it's arranged."

Sakura's eyes widened and her heart sank as a knot slowly formed at the base of her throat. That hadn't been expected. She choked back, "Oh. All I want is for Neji to be happy. Now go."

The three turned and dragged their sensei into the woods to find a hiding spot, but Sakura just stared at the place where they had disappeared. Itachi appeared next to her. "Sakura," he stated flatly. "You are a fool."

"In more ways than you know," she replied as her entire focus was on suppressing the tears that were threatening to reemerge.

"Neji was your boyfriend?" he asked, cautiously. "A Hyuuga if my memory serves."

"Fiancé," she corrected slowly, attempting to regain composure. This entire day had been so emotionally draining.

"Hyuugas expect their women to revolve their lives around caring for the home as did the Uchihas," Itachi responded evenly, "A waste of true talent, I think, especially for a kunoichi like you."

"Are you complimenting me, Itachi?" she asked incredulously, her head snapped around so it was staring at him; however, he didn't return the eyecontact. If Sakura had to guess, this entire situation was perhaps making him a little uncomfortable.

"Perhaps. I do give compliments when they are due, and you deserve this one," he replied, his eyes focused on the same spot in the forest where the three Konoha-nin had left. "Also I know you would never agree to a marriage if you were not prepared for the…repercussions. Therefore, I believe he was the one who ended the engagement?"

Her heart twisted in more knots than she could possibly count for multiple reasons. The first being that she was now forced to confront many of the feelings she had been subduing about her failed relationship with Neji. The other was that she was having a very personal conversation with Uchiha Itachi and she was not sure how to react to that. All she could do was nod her head.

"Then, Sakura," Itachi replied, his voice seeming softer and gentler than she had ever heard it, "He is perhaps the most foolish man I've ever heard of."

* * *

AN: Alright, so we're slowly kinda seeing the emotional connections between Sakura and Itachi begin. I always feel like it's better to ease the way into a Sakura/Itachi relationship which is hard because all I want to do is write about them being together. Anyway, if you have any questions/comments/concerns/suggestions, please review! I hope you liked this chapter!


	10. Unless You Make It So

AN: This is a big, fat, important chapter so pay attention. You can pretty much figure out the main antagonist in the story after this, Sakura finds out the truth about the Uchiha massacre, and everyone's getting a little too touchy-feely for things to stay platonic.

I can't believe I hashed this baby out in only a few hours (blame coffee).

I hope you like it as it may be a little while before I'm able to update again. The next thing I put out will be a chapter for Blue Jays (I try to put one chapter out for Blue Jays for every two-three chapters I do here). And always, please tell me what you think :)

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 10: Unless You Make it So**

* * *

"_There is darkness inside all of us, though mine is more dangerous than most. Still, we all have it—that part of our soul that is irreparably damaged by the very trials and tribulations of life. We are what we are because of it, or perhaps in spite of it. Some use it as a shield to hide behind, others as an excuse to do unconscionable things. But, truly, the darkness is simply a piece of the whole, neither good nor evil unless you make it so." _

― _Jenna Maclaine, Bound By Sin_

* * *

_It was dark, very, very dark in the cold, black void where Sasuke stood in his own consciousness. His breath hitched as he felt the familiar presence of somebody behind him, slowly breaching the distance. Sasuke wasn't wearing the gray jumpsuit the guards had given him at the Konoha prison, but he was in his Sound attire – white shirt, purple belt, and a heavy sword attached to his hip. Confusion surrounded him completely, and there was the slightest inkling of fear rising from his stomach to his chest._

'_Sasuke-kun,' the venomous voice hissed as the person got closer._

'_Go away,' Sasuke replied vehemently, 'I killed you.'_

'_Body, yes, but soul, no,' the voice whispered into his ear lightly. Sasuke's chest heaved as he felt he was being constricted; looking down, he saw that a large snake was making its way tightly around his abdomen. 'Now that you're in Konoha, you will do as I planned. You're precious Sakura-chan is more predictable than she thinks.'_

'_She's not precious,' Sasuke replied evenly. 'Not to me, anyway.'_

'_You may continue to tell yourself that,' Orochimaru responded breathily, 'You may continue to fight it, but I'm inside your mind and it will only be a matter of time before I take your body. Your precious kunoichi should have killed you when she had the chance.'_

_The manacle laughter rang throughout his entire head. 'Sasuke it's time we moved onto the next phase of the plan, and you will do it or I'll kill your stupid little friends that you've come to love.'_

'_I don't love anyone, you fool,' Sasuke replied tersely as the large constrictor continued to tighten around his chest, making his way up to his neck._

_More laughter ensued from right behind Sasuke, blaring into his ear. 'Denial is unbecoming. I have to ask – what is the obsession with the kunoichi's power? Everyone seems to act as if she is the most powerful shinobi in the world. She has hardly passed Tsunade in terms of skills, as you have done with me. So I must ask, Sasuke-kun, why couldn't you kill her? Why, when I was screaming in your ear to do so, you slowed your run so she could incapacitate you? She seems to have thought that you were trying to kill her, the foolish and weak girl she is.'_

'_Leave her out of this. She has nothing to do with this.' The snake was now squeezing Sasuke's head so tight that he was sure his brain was about to burst._

'_Oh Sasuke-kun, that is where you're wrong,' Orochimaru replied, still standing behind him, 'and her stupidity will make killing her all the easier.'_

"Get out!" he shrieked loudly as he sat straight up in his cot. Sasuke looked around wildly, but he was back in his cell in the Konoha prison, clad in a gray jumpsuit that marred him as a captive. Quickly, a guard was at the barred window to his cell.

"Everything alright in there, Uchiha?" the ANBU asked. Normally, ANBU did not patrol the prison, but thanks to their newest captive, there was at least one stationed there at all times. Sasuke merely nodded his head a bit, trying not to show his discontent. He couldn't place a name to the voice behind the feline mask, but he was sure it was familiar to him. The last thing he needed was for someone who knew him to go barking around that he was having nightmares. "Alright, just keep it down."

Iruka. The name came to him all of a sudden and the face of his old sensei flashed into his mind. Sasuke found himself wondering when his sensei had become an ANBU, or a jounin for that matter. When he had defected from Konoha, the man had been a chunin instructor at the academy. What prompted his sudden desire to climb the shinobi ranks? All of these were questions he no longer had the privilege to ask.

He leaned back down in his cot, feeling the sweat that had perspired from him press against his cold skin. These nightmares were getting troublesome. After killing Orochimaru, he discovered that the sannin had implanted a bit of his soul within him. When the snake had done that, Sasuke wasn't sure. He just knew he was there, biding his time until Sasuke allowed him to take his body. As if that would ever happen.

However, it had become more difficult to control him of late – since his fight with Sakura and subsequent return to Konoha. Apparently, Sasuke's return to Konoha had been Orochimaru's ultimate goal. Perhaps the sannin was originally just waiting for his time, waiting for Sasuke to kill Itachi, because he knew that Sasuke's plan was to return to Konoha after that to fulfill his other goal in life: reviving the Uchiha clan.

That's where Sakura came in, he supposed. She was the only person Sasuke had ever mentioned as being a possible candidate, but things had changed now. For one, she seemed to no longer hold any interest in him of that nature. That was to be expected, seeing as they both tried to kill each other each time they met over the past three years or so. Sighing, Sasuke shifted so he was a bit more comfortable. His eyelids grew heavy once again as sleep was taking him…

Suddenly, he was jolted awake by a large _bang_ that echoed through the hall, and a shout from Iruka, "You can't go in there, Naruto! And give me the keys back!"

Sasuke sat up completely, wondering what the idiot could be doing here at this time of night, and stared at the small window in his cell until the Uzumaki appeared. "Sasuke-teme!" he yelled as his boisterous face appeared in through the bars. "Guess what!"

"No," Sasuke replied flatly.

Naruto's face scrunched in disapproval, but Sasuke heard the light clinging of keys in the door nonetheless. As Naruto entered, Sasuke noted the small box in his right hand. "I'll tell you anyway," Naruto chimed. "Team Ebisu ran into Sakura-chan."

A breath tightened into his chest that he could not find the strength to release. Team Ebisu was the team that the Third's grandson was on, was it not? Sasuke stared at Naruto blankly, waiting for him to elaborate, but the blond just stared at him with a large grin spread across his face. Finally, Sasuke intoned, "What happened?"

"Well they are in the middle of a meeting with the old lady- I mean Tsunade-sama now," Naruto continued, "I don't know what happened, but look at this." Naruto held out the box to Sasuke who took it warily. "Konohamaru said that she gave it to him to give to me. It's a birthday present – a bit early but that's to be expected."

Sasuke gaped a bit, but exhaled silently, digesting all of the information he was getting. First, he forgot that Naruto's birthday was coming up. In about a week, if he was remembering correctly. Sasuke internally bit out a bitter laugh. Sakura was being held hostage by the most famous group of criminal shinobi, but she still managed to get a birthday gift for the dobe. How had she gotten his icy older brother to agree to that?

Warily, Sasuke turned the box over in his hands, and let out a small, silent gasp. The legendary sannin were well-known throughout the ninja world and were quite famous. In fact, they managed to create quite a trade in memorabilia and merchandise, so it was not uncommon to find keep-sakes that were made in honor of the sannin. However, the rift between the slug and toad sannin and the snake sannin was something of a well-kept secret between the villages, so they were often all portrayed together in civilian shops. Sasuke could practically feel Sakura's bitter irony in this particular piece she had chosen.

A rather goofy looking porcelain figurine now rested in Sasuke's hand. It was a rather cartoon-looking version of a snake, a toad, and a slug all pushed together fondly, large funny-looking smiles plastered on their faces. As if by some twist of weird, humorless fate, the toad was painted orange, the snake blue, and the slug pink. A tiny porcelain rope bound the three animals together and a sign hung from it that said 'Kazoku' (AN: Kazoku means family in Japanese). To add to the irony, Sakura had painted, in black ink, the Uchiha, Uzumaki, and Haruno family crests on the back of each of their respective animals.

Although Naruto probably didn't sense the irony, and Sasuke was sure that Sakura wouldn't have purchased it for the satire completely. He could, however, picture her bitter laugh as she chose the piece. No, she would choose it because she knew Naruto would appreciate it and love it. Judging by the happy gleam in his eye, Naruto did love it.

Sasuke sighed at the implications of the ornament. It was showing that they were all still a family. At least, that's what Sakura clearly wanted Naruto to believe.

X

It rained in Lightning Country. It rained in Lightning Country all the time. It rained in the mornings, in the afternoons, at night. It was as if this country got all of the rain in the entire world and wouldn't share it with the rest. Sakura knew this thought was irrational as it rained in Fire Country enough, but in the two days since she has been trudging through Lightning Country, it had been raining.

Sakura was drenched, from head to toe. Mud covered the bottom portion of her calves and stuck to her skin like glue. Her shivering had stopped yesterday as her body completely numbed to the rain after drudging through it for an entire day. She hated the rain, she decided then, and would enjoy a long, happy soak on the beach once she returned home.

"Almost there," Deidara's warm breath whispered in her ear and Sakura stiffened, not realizing he had come so close to her. Realizing her entire body was soaked, freezing, and cold, her entire back shivered at the warm contact. Deidara merely chuckled at her reaction – clearly doing it to amuse himself as he did with the kunoichi all the time.

The trip after the unexpected run-in with Team Ebisu seemed relatively normal except the fact that all four members of the Akatsuki reminded her that they could kill her whenever they wished. Sakura would just sigh at the threats, knowing they were probably true.

The silent trip also gave her time to think about _everything_. Everything, except for Neji's engagement – that she refused to dwell on as it only made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. Part of her, most of her, knew that Neji had been right to end the engagement for her happiness and sanity. He was right when he said that she would come to resent him one day. She had just been fooling herself when she denied it, but there was no doubt that her life as a kunoichi was more important to her than anything. A tiny fraction of her heart, though, was still mending. Knowing it would do so with time, Sakura chose to ignore the slight pain and focus on her current predicament.

The current predicament being a certain Uchiha, as Sakura had deduced that he was _not_ a sociopath. Although she knew he was still a mass-murderer, she was now fairly sure there was an underlying meaning to what had occurred all those years ago. The way he spoke to her, the way he indulged her when she had wanted something, the way he complimented her when she needed it most – it pointed to a very polite, conscientious, albeit intimidating individual – not a power-hungry sociopath that would murder his entire family to induce the use of the ultimate Sharingan.

Inwardly, Sakura mused that her inner-self would probably be remarking on how good-looking and handsome the eldest Uchiha was. Then, she found herself thinking it consciously. Their previous liaison and subsequent physical contact in the woods had been completely unexpected although it seemed just to be a tactic to get information out of her from his part. However, she had been most affected by the physical proximity of such a…well-built male. It wasn't like what had happened with Noboru, either. It was something more than just her 18-year-old hormones. There was something more within her that she couldn't place because in all honesty, she found the Uchiha to be relatively good company. Sakura sighed a little to herself. Enough thinking about the Uchiha like that, seeing as soon she would be far, far away from him – as far as she could get at least.

Sakura furrowed her brows slightly as she recalled what she had been dwelling on previously – the Uchiha massacre. If not for power, then for what? What good reason could one have for killing off their entire clan, except for one person – his younger brother?

Sasuke. Her thoughts drifted back to their last encounter which also caused her unease. In all of her musings, Sakura could not figure something out: why had the fight been so easy? The last thing she heard of Orochimaru was when they were 16 – Sasuke had killed the snake sannin. If he had been able to do that, then surely he could kill her. Although Sakura was sure he possessed the power both physically and mentally to do so, he hadn't. During the time directly following the confrontation, Sakura was sure he had been trying to end her life. Now, though, she wasn't so certain. Ah, how her thoughts betrayed her completely when she was left to contemplate these things internally. Really, she needed to stop over-thinking things. That had landed her here, with the Akatsuki, even though she could have escaped already.

Her inner thoughts were cut off by Itachi stopping in front of them suddenly. He glazed a sidelong glance back at them. "We're here," he stated evenly. His hands rose as he made the appropriate hand signs to dispel any traps that were around them, and then he continued to walk.

Sakura wasn't sure her relief could be more evident as she sighed happily when they entered the house out of the cold, slushing rain. "Warmth," she purred as she ran to the heater against the wall of the living room, cranking it to full power. Kisame laughed heartily behind her as the group entered.

"Don't like the water, kid?" he teased.

"Not for two days, I don't," she indulged back, her face flickering with laughter.

"Come on, yeah, I'll show you your room," Deidara pointed towards the hallway that would indicate the residential portion of the home.

"Ah it's time for a nice, warm shower," Sakura mused, sliding past him into the hall.

"Want any company?" Deidara teased. Sakura's pale face flushed red as she knocked him in the shoulder lightly.

"Pervert," she accused as they continued to walk down the hall.

Itachi watched them go, trying to tear his eyes away from the kunoichi, but he couldn't make himself do so. Ever since this little…attraction to her became known within him, he was finding it harder to deal with. At first he had found himself waving it off as a normal, biological reaction, but now he was gaining that it was something more than that. Shaking the thoughts down, he forced into his mind that such thoughts were highly inappropriate seeing as the kunoichi would probably not be with them for much longer – one way or the other. Her loyalty completely lay with Konoha, as she had openly admitted to staying with their group for the purposes of furthering her own goals.

Slowly, he made his way to his own room, the one right across the hall from Kisame's, and walked in. As he peeled away the wet clothes from his body, he began to think of her again, to his annoyance. Yes, he was sure this was something more than physical attraction. The way he found himself…uncomfortable…with her imminent withdrawal from the group told him that. Also the way that she affected him emotionally was discomfiting. Really, the girl was a complete contradiction.

First, she was a kunoichi – a deadly force that was not to be underestimated – with pink hair and a bubbly personality? It was like she was two different people, Itachi joked to himself at the irony of the thought. Second, she was completely volatile at times, a handful to say the least. Other times, she was emotionally drained and sobbing at some expressive pain. Third, her mouth was much quicker than her mind and spewing out whatever it was she wanted to say, and she seemed not to have a barrier that blocked herself from talking. That contradicted with the clear, contemplative thoughts that occurred within her during their travels.

And Itachi found himself inexplicably addicted to her presence. Her company around him was not unwanted, of this he was sure. He had grown so used to her falling in silent steps behind him or her constant attendance in the kitchen and living quarters, that he was sure he would feel the void when she left. Surely, he was going insane.

Before he could dwell further, he decided to indulge this little craving he had. Pulling on fresh, warm clothes and brushing his frizzed hair into a low ponytail at the base of his neck, Itachi left his room in search for a particular pink-haired kunoichi. Walking silently to her room, chakra masked, he pressed a firm ear to the door to ensure that she was not showering. Quietly, yet firmly, he knocked on the door.

"Come in," she voiced from behind the thin oak door. Her eyes widened a bit when he walked in but a genuine smile splayed across her face as he fully entered her room. She was in his jounin attire – something that made him internally revel in male-satisfaction – and was brushing her wet hair back into a ponytail. "Itachi," she greeted.

"Come. I have something to show you," he commanded lightly. Sakura merely smiled and pulled herself up. Nodding, she followed him out of the room.

"Another training ground?" she guessed from behind him.

"No, but there is one here. You may use it as per our agreement," he replied. Her curiosity was really quite charming, as he heard her audibly sigh in relief behind him. He stopped at the door that he had been searching for. "Here," he said, opening it, and flicking the light on.

"A library?" she gasped. The room was large and shelves covered all four walls, from ceiling to floor, and were full of books. A couch sat in the middle of the room with a small lamp on the table next to it.

"Yes. There is nothing confidential kept in here. We inherited the books from the property's original owner," Itachi explained, rejoicing internally at her stunned, but excited reaction. Pointing to a particular shelf, he stated, "Those are the medical books."

Sakura ran to them and stared at them carefully. Then she turned back to face him, a slightly puzzled expression on her face. "I just remembered something," she muttered. "You never told me if you wanted me to heal your heart or not."

Itachi took the sudden broach of conversation in stride, as he had been expecting it to come up again. It had taken him several days to decide his answer as he was conflicted with such an offer. The healing of his ailment was certainly not part of his plan. "Alright," he finally intoned. Although it would make Sasuke killing him all the more difficult, it just meant that his brother would have to be stronger than before, but it was not impossible. Remembering their deal as a 'one-to-one' offer, he asked, "Now what would you like in return?"

Sakura bit her bottom lip nervously, drawing his eyes to that part of her body a little inappropriately, and she fidgeted as if she knew the answer but was having trouble expressing it. Finally, after some blatant internal struggling, she formed a defiant look in her eyes. Obstinately, she said, "I want to know why you killed your family. The real reason – not the fake one you've been presenting all these years."

All right, that was a surprise. Itachi's eyes widened in disbelief for a fraction of a second and then pain rushed through his body as the memories of that night resurfaced. However, he could not dwell on such feelings long as Sakura was now making her way to him in determined strides, and accusatory finger raised, "See, there it is! The grief! I knew I saw it before."

"Quiet down," he ordered. Really, she was going to have the entire house listening in on their conversation.

In a hushed, but just as determined voice, she continued, "It would take a psychopath to do what you did for the alleged reason you did it. I'm not buying it, and I want to know why you would kill your entire family, save Sasuke, and then live your life as a missing-nin. I know that there has to be a different reason behind it."

Itachi found the need to think this through, but the look in Sakura's eyes told him he would have no such time. Then again, part of him wanted to share this with her. Part of him wanted her to know the truth. Without a second thought, he stated as evenly as he could, "There is."

Sakura's eyes widened for a moment due to his admission, but then a proud look gleamed in the jade eyes. "I knew it. I wish to know why. Once I do, I'll heal your heart and lungs."

"Sakura, you will have a very difficult time digesting that information. It would devastate the strongest shinobi, and you may find yourself questioning your loyalties when you find out," Itachi warned.

A stubborn look presented itself on her features. "I can handle it," she insisted. "Now I have to know."

Itachi was worried she would answer this way. "Do not say I didn't warn you. Meet me in your room in five minutes. I believe you'll be finding it difficult to function once you have discovered the truth."

Sakura stalked off out the door and Itachi saw her disappear into the room. He walked slowly to his room and opened his pack that had been resting by his bed. Unsealing a secret compartment, he pulled out a scroll with a classified ANBU seal on it. His mission scroll. He had kept it all these years for some unknown reason to him. In reality he was just using it to punish himself – a constant reminder of the horrible, atrocious act he had committed.

Tentatively, he walked into Sakura's room to find her sitting on one of the cushions that surrounded a low table in the room. Itachi took a seat in the cushion adjacent to hers and put the scroll on the table warily. "Are you sure?" he asked once more. Sakura just picked up the scroll and nodded.

Then, however, she saw the ANBU seal on it and her face scrunched in confusion for just a split second. Then the implication dawned on her and her eyes widened in disbelief. "No," she whispered as she unsealed the scroll. Her eyes darted down the mission briefing quickly and then her hand went against her mouth in complete shock. Jade eyes, brimming with tears, met impassive onyx, and then she continued to read. After she had effectively read the scroll twice, she placed it down on the table, eyes filled with disgust. "How could they do such a thing?" she spat as tears finally fell.

"My family was planning to start a civil war within Konoha," Itachi replied, trying to keep the tone even. "They would not relent or even consider altering their plans as they were the ones obsessed with power. They were very well aware that they were putting everyone in danger."

"Oh my god," she muttered between silent sobs. "I can't believe the council would sanction such a thing."

"They were doing what was in the best interest of Konoha," Itachi responded, face and voice impassive. "Although, I could not bring myself to kill Sasuke."

Sakura turned her gaze up to meet his, her entire body shaking at what she had just read. How could that have happened? And Itachi had done it? Of course he did, like a good, loyal shinobi would. Her heart twisted within her chest at everything that was happening; this was too much. She should never know such a thing, just like Itachi said. This was classified, confidential, and _no one_ should ever know about this within Konoha. It would surely start a revolt. Then, she realized, this was too much. She couldn't handle this.

"Sakura," Itachi said, shifting to her, seemingly understanding her removal from reality. He placed a firm grip on her shoulders as he saw her usually exuberant eyes begin to die. Sakura barely registered the concern from her subconscious state that plagued the Uchiha's voice. "Do not call for her. She cannot help you here. You need to learn how to handle these things without her."

This seemed to bring her back to life as she jerked her head up and her eyes met his. Then she was moving, quickly. Her arms locked around his shoulders before he could even register what she was doing. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, she whispered, "I'm so sorry that this happened to you."

Itachi's eyes widened in shock; no one, not one person ever, had apologized to _him_. Not the council members, the clan elders, or anyone who he had ever told about this situation – no one ever pitied him for what he had been ordered to do. No one had ever viewed this as something that had happened to him.

Unsure of what to do with the sobbing kunoichi, he placed his hands around her back slowly in order to calm her. Sakura stiffened at the sudden reciprocation of the embrace, but she quickly quelled such anxiety. Was she trying to comfort him, or was she using him to comfort her mixed emotions of the more recent development? Itachi had the feeling that it was most likely a bit of both.

After several minutes of embracing intimately in silence, Sakura pulled back. "Thank you for telling me the truth," she said genuinely. Internally, she was now planning how she would repay the remaining members of the council when she returned to Konoha. They would not get away with such an atrocious crime and let Itachi take the fault for this completely – of this, she was sure.

Itachi merely nodded, picked the scroll up, and said, "Go to sleep. We will begin the healing sessions again in the morning."

As the door shut behind him, Itachi exhaled a breath he felt he had been holding since Sakura had begun the hug. Really, was she so emotionally stinted that she couldn't tell the way she affected him? No, he supposed he held his emotions rather tightly inward. However, Itachi was now battling over the embrace. It was a moment of both physical _and_ emotional intimacy that he had shared with no one in his entire life. Part of him was satisfied with that. However, he had now revealed his biggest and most protected secret to a Konoha ninja of all people. What would she do with that information?

Making his way to the kitchen, he found Kisame sitting at the table, a cup of tea in his hands. His partner's eyes drifted to the scroll in his hands. "I haven't seen that in a while," he commented uncertainly.

"Sakura knows," Itachi replied curtly, taking a seat at the table. Kisame's eyes widened. Before he could respond, Itachi interjected, "I doubt that this will change her resolve to return home. Leader will not like that. Kisame-"

"I get it, kid," Kisame interrupted. "We have to figure out a way to get Sakura out of here without being killed or hurt by Leader."

Itachi felt a feeling of sudden gratitude towards his perceptive teammate.

X

"This is nice, yeah?" Deidara asked as they walked down a trail together, hands wrapped behind his head, cradling it. The similarity to the way Naruto walked was almost too much for Sakura to take. This morning, there had been a brief respite to the rain and Deidara had insisted on enjoying the weather. Sakura merely nodded to his previous comment.

Sakura couldn't deny that it was a welcomed change. Although it was still muggy and too chilly for her tastes, the sun was barely breaking through the clouds to give a little bit of hope. They were in a thick, dense forest that couldn't quite be described as a jungle, but was close enough.

Deidara had obviously sensed the shift in her demeanor once she discovered the truth about the Uchiha clan massacre. The Uchiha clan had been planning to start a coup in order to overthrow the Hokage and take control of Konoha. Being a dutiful ANBU and shinobi, Itachi reported their plans to the council. Seeing no other alternative after countless attempts at quelling the coup, the council ordered the entire elimination of the Uchiha clan.

The facts were enough to cause Sakura to heave up the entire contents of her stomach the night after she found out. It had been two days since then, both spent healing Itachi's eyes (he insisted the heart condition could wait until after his eyes were better), and Sakura still hadn't slept properly. This had manifested itself into a very temperamental, volatile Sakura. Deidara had taken note and blamed it on the terrible weather, which Sakura conceded didn't help much. Now, at this moment of brief respite, he pulled her out the door and insisted on them enjoying the weather.

"I thought I saw a big cliff with a waterfall over on the other side of the river there. I'm going to go and see!" Deidara announced excitedly, also too much like Naruto, and jumped onto the back of a clay bird he had just created. "I'll come back for you once I find it!"

Sakura merely waved, happy for a bit of a break from the blond, as he reminded her too much of her home and Naruto. She found a small clearing that was bathed in sunlight, and pulled off her Akatsuki robe to enjoy the slight warmth. Setting it by a tree, she walked to the middle of the clearing a laid down on the moist grass to enjoy the small amount of sunlight.

Sighing, she thought of home and how much she wished she could go back. She became very aware of the twinge in her heart when she thought of going home. Digging into it deeper, she tried to understand her uncertainty of returning to Konoha. Was it the news of the Uchiha massacre? No, that wasn't it –because that was actually an incentive to return home. She wanted to bring the truth to light to everyone since it was unfair to blame Itachi solely for what occurred.

Then she thought of leaving the company of her most recent companions and her heart panged again. Was that really it? Had she grown _fond_ of them? Tobi was odd, but funny at times as he teased Deidara, and he was kind to her. She permitted Kisame's taunts and enjoyed his company in general. Deidara was by far the friendliest towards her, and if their situation was different, she could even picture herself liking the blast-nin.

Itachi. Now that was confusing. Sakura admitted that she was physically attracted to him a while ago. In fact, there was no denying that he was incredibly good looking. However, things were going further than that. They were getting too far out of hand. At first, Sakura pushed it off as some Stockholm Syndrome version of a crush, but now that she knew the truth was there really any denying that she was finding herself becoming maybe more than fond of him?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a gruff, evil sounding laugh. Senses pricked, Sakura gasped. How had she not noticed before? As several men began to make their way out of the trees, Sakura sat up fully, freezing on the spot.

The white, sheer masks over their faces, revealing only their eyes and hair, told her everything: they were the Senshi no Shinzo group – a group of rogue ninja that dominated the northern part of the globe. Fire Country had little to do with them as the northern villages usually took care of them. They were similar to the Akatsuki in some ways, Sakura tried to remember, but there were many big differences. For example, their goals and ambitions were much _less _admirable than those of the Akatsuki, and that was saying something. In essence, they were a group of very unstable, disgusting, yet talented thugs for hire.

"What do we have here?" the one closest to Sakura asked.

"A little girl lost in the woods by herself," another commented. Sakura hissed, jumping to her feet. Where the hell was Deidara? Sending her feelers out, she sensed he was somewhere about a mile away, surely trying to find the waterfall he had spotted earlier so he could bring her to it.

"A kunoichi, perhaps?" a third asked. "No she's too weak for that. There's no chakra to her." To Sakura's advantage, she had masked her chakra while she was out here. Sakura sensed there were four of them in their general proximity, but there was another six or seven a hundred yards to the west. How had she not felt them approach? There was no way her internal thoughts would cause her guard to go down completely. They must be experts at hiding their chakra, she decided.

"Leave me alone," she bit out.

"But we want to have fun," the second man who had spoken, commented with insinuation. He was the tallest and his gruff accent told Sakura he was most likely from Mist. This was confirmed by the large sword on his back. Trying to remember the names of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, she cursed herself for not paying more attention to that particular lesson in the academy. Sai, Kakashi, and Guy had all but eliminated them in the last war, but Sakura knew many of them had been reincarnated.

"Well I've already had all the fun I need for one day," Sakura continued, backing up slowly.

"Not so fast, girly," the first one said, now standing behind her. He was fast. Sakura squeaked as his cold hands clenched her shoulders roughly and pulled her back flush against him. Sakura suddenly understood what kind of 'fun' they wanted to have, judging by the bulge that was now hitting her inner thigh.

"Get your nasty hands off me you piece of shit," Sakura spat, her temper boiling. Knowing she could not take ten to eleven A and S-class criminals by herself, she only hoped she could bide her time and take most of them out until Deidara sensed the fight and came to her. She ignored the irony that she was hoping for the Akatsuki to come and save her. "You have one warning."

"Or what? You'll pull my hair?" he laughed in her ear.

"No, I'll kill you," she hissed. A chakra-laden elbow was thrown back into his ribs and they cracked. Sakura turned quickly and, as he was already falling back from her initial hit, kicked him in the chest _hard_. Under her foot, she felt a rib break and pierce the man's heart. He let out a shriek and then fell over, dying, where he had landed ten feet away from her kick.

"She _is_ a kunoichi!" the fourth man yelled and began his attack. The other six that had been nearby were also now racing to the grounds.

Sakura wielded her hand high and hit the ground, hard. Fortunately, she had her black gloves on and her borrowed ninja belt with her – Kisame had insisted she always carried it with her on her travels (with no hint of concern in his voice whatsoever). The ground cracked and created a canyon between her and the rogue ninja. However, someone was behind her, the one with the sword, and he was swinging it at her. She jumped up and dodged the attack, but a round of senbon was now flying towards her. She threw out a flurry of explosive tags to deflect them, but several senbon grazed her skin.

Hoping that Deidara had felt the tremor or sensed her flaring chakra, Sakura moved back, mostly trying to evade the attacks. If she was lucky enough, Itachi would sense it too, seeing as he was so perceptive. They were less than two miles from the base they were staying at, and there was a good chance he would sense the battle, especially with her chakra flaring so much from her hits.

It was nine to one now and Sakura's entire body was poised for attack. They came at her all at once and as chakra-fueled fists connected with flesh, bone, and muscle she felt their numbers begin to dwindle. Six, she guessed, she had killed six. She hit the ground again, this time focusing on creating the biggest fissure she could which would cause the largest earth quake. Surely, the others would have to sense that.

Jumping back into the trees, she created three shadow clones, and then streaked away into another tree, allowing the clones to distract the ninja so she could find a place to wait. As she found a good hiding spot, her body began to shake a little and her head began to ache. Ignoring the feeling, she sensed someone behind her.

Turning around fully, Sakura punched the rogue ninja in the gut, but he grabbed her hand after the initial hit. Twisting it hard, Sakura cried out in pain as her wrist cracked. It was broken. He then hit her as hard as he could in her head, but she regained herself quickly although she could already feel the swelling set in. Trying to ignore the throbbing, splitting pain, she let out a kick that flipped her body over and caught the ninja in the head. His skull fractured into his brain and he fell over dead onto the ground.

This had alerted his other teammates and they were now coming towards her at unrivaled speeds. However, she didn't have time to heal her wrist. Plus, she was shaking even more now and the pounding sensation in her head was getting unbearable. Crying out, she felt her entire body go limp.

She no longer had control of her muscles, she deduced as she fell to the ground with a thud. The senbon that had barely grazed her arms earlier – they had been poisoned, she realized. Cursing herself for not feeling it sooner, she found herself looking up at a group of very pleased males, rejoicing in the most self-satisfied way. "You're quite the kunoichi," one stated solemnly – the only one that didn't seem to be overtly cruel. Sakura pushed her sensed outward and realized that Deidara was now very close. She also felt Itachi and Kisame's chakras fast approaching.

"Boss, she's not alone," one of the members hissed. "Three massive chakra signatures approaching at insane speeds from two different directions."

Sakura merely smirked at them, but another member (one of the only four surviving) kicked her in her ribs hard. She choked out a cry and heaved a mix of blood and nothing onto the ground next to her. As she was being pulled into the arms of the boss, she heard an audible gasp coming from a very short ninja.

"Boss, look at this!" he hissed, holding up her cloak. "She's an Akatsuki."

The body underneath her stiffened completely, "We need to get out of here, now," he commanded. "Akatsuki, huh? I'm not that surprised by the fact that you were able to kill six of my comrades. We _are_ all S-class criminals."

Sakura didn't deny the accusation as it seemed to be the other thing keeping her alive right now. However, she was now being lulled into unconsciousness by the poison that was captivating her body completely along with the several hits she had taken earlier. The last thing she sensed was being pulled into an insanely fast run, faster than she had ever encountered before.

But then, just before she fell victim to the poison, she heard a blood-chilling scream of someone far, far away, and someone called out, "Dammit, it's Itachi Uchiha!"

* * *

AN: There's a few things that need explaining/clarifying.

1. I made up the Senshi no Shinzo group. They are completely fictional in the Naruto world and are just used for serving my purposes in this particular fanfic.

2. A few people voiced that Sakura was maybe too strong and infallible and I agree. It was something I realized in the last chapter after I posted it and reread the story as a whole. That is why I wrote this chapter in the manner that I did - so she is maybe a little more realistic. I hope you find it more to your liking.

3. I'm really not sure if I like the way the big reveal about the Uchiha massacre turned out. I was debated and changing and deleting that particular scene for a while, but I think I was able to get it to serve the purposes that I wanted it to. I'm really interested in getting your feedback/comments/advice about that scene in particular so please be honest.

Thank you for reading!

Please review :)


	11. Facing Danger

AN: Yes, I did copy and paste this note from my chapter of Blue Jays. Don't judge, I'm lazy. Alright guys here's another chapter for you. I hope you like it. Oh, as some of you may have noticed I did begin a new story. To be honest, I've been writing it for a while but I was just avoiding posting it. Some friends read it and insisted I post it, so I did. It's called The First Time. While Blue Jays and Nothing but the Truth take precedent, I will be updating The First Time as much as I can. I've posted a summary for it below at the end of the chapter. I would love if you would read it.

How about this, just review and let me know what you think about everything?

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 11: Facing Danger**

* * *

_"There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid."_

_L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_

* * *

He had felt the first flare of chakra which made him perk his head up from his bed where he had been trying – and for perhaps the first time in his life, failing – to keep thoughts of a certain pink-haired kunoichi from his mind. Then, there was another flare of chakra and the house shook, and he realized that the chakra was from aforementioned kunoichi. Standing suddenly, he felt his stomach sink into his feet as his heartbeat grew louder in his ears.

"Itachi?" Kisame called from the hallways. "That's not a sparring session, is it?"

Itachi pushed his chakra outward, trying to grasp the situation, and found Deidara who half a mile away from Sakura. Sakura – Sakura was surrounded by eight (seven, six, five) people and judging by the way the numbers were dwindling, was fighting them. He rushed out of the bedroom, taking Kisame by surprise. "Let's go," was all he said.

Kisame was behind him in a moment of true understanding and Itachi was flying swiftly through the trees straight towards where he had felt Sakura when she had been battling whoever was attacking her. As he drew closer, he became more aware that Deidara was rushing back towards her as well. Had he really been stupid enough to leave her alone? Who was attacking her? Itachi flew into a large clearing, Kisame behind him, just as Deidara was reaching the same clearing on his bird.

"What happened?" he asked, trying not to let his voice betray the silent panic that was sweeping him from within.

"I went to go find a waterfall I had seen on the way in, yeah," Deidara explained breathily. Apparently he had been in quite the rush to get back as well. "Then I felt a whole bunch of chakra points flare up when I got a mile away and then Sakura's chakra started flaring and I heard a crash so I raced back here…"

He was practically hyperventilating now and Itachi held his hand up, commanding him to be silent. He quickly surveyed the scene before him with his Sharingan. There were two large craters in the center of the field and six dead bodies lying around, most of them dead due to hand-to-hand combat, it seemed. Sakura's wrinkled Akatsuki robe lay in a heap on the other side of the clearing. Looking at the trees, Itachi sensed which way Sakura had been taken with four others – seemingly male and very strong. Not strong enough to take him in a fight, but more than enough to take Sakura if there really were four of them.

"This way," Itachi intoned, flying into the forest. Kisame was not far behind and Itachi sensed Deidara flying above them, surveying the landscape. Is this what panic felt like? The way his heart was beating like it was having an attack, the sweat that was sheening over his neck and face, the way his legs were shaking – this was panic. The path suddenly split into two places, three of the criminals going one way, and another path with Sakura going the other.

"You kill them," Itachi commanded, inclining his head towards the path where the three shinobi had gone. "Take Deidara with you. I will retrieve Sakura."

Kisame motioned for Deidara to follow on his bird, and he nodded in understanding. Itachi flew off in the other direction.

Sakura was being carried on the back of one vulgar male while the others had gone off in a different direction, supposedly to split the Akatsuki up. Now, though, Sakura was very aware that this was one of the men that had insinuated 'having fun' with her earlier, and she was internally panicking. Her chakra stores were low – very, very low – and she still was having trouble bringing her body to do what she commanded.

The ninja she was being carried by suddenly changed his direction and _whack_, hit her ankle on a large rock. Sakura choked out a cry and he merely laughed – telling her that he had done that on purpose. Sakura pushed some diagnostic chakra into her ankle; it was fractured. Broken wrist, concussion, contusions to the head, minor skin wounds – some from poisonous senbon – and a fractured ankle, Sakura listed her injuries to herself and realized that if this man chose to have his way with her, she was in no position to fight it.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, he found what he'd been searching for: a secluded cave. Sakura cursed inwardly as the man slammed her hard into the wall of the cave. He was so disgustingly close to her that she had to force herself not to spit in his face. If he tried anything, she would, though. She wasn't passed that at all – she would do whatever it took not to be a victim of _this_.

Struggling the best she could, the only thing the vile man did was 'shhh' her as he placed a hand over her mouth. Trying to bite him, Sakura unclenched and clamped her jaw down, but he was able to avoid it. "Don't worry, I like the ones that fight," he hissed in her ear. Sakura tried to scream, but to no avail as his hand was back over her mouth.

She kicked out with her good leg, but once again, the man was able to dodge it. He was tall – just as tall as Itachi – but much more muscular, almost to the point of it being _too_ much. Like he had something to prove. The thought of his masculine inferiority complex almost made Sakura laugh, but the situation was currently much too dire for that. The man clamped her hands above her head with one hand, and then formed several hand seals.

Rock jut out from the side of the wall and fastened Sakura's hands down. She pushed and pulled against it, forcing whatever chakra she had left into escaping, but there was no use. Sakura whimpered in despair, the tears now threatening to spill over as her entire body shook. She knew this was sometimes a negative event that happened to kunoichi. It was something that some of her friends and comrades had gone through. It was why they trained kunoichi to cope with these situations when they occurred, but nothing could prepare even the strongest kunoichi for when it actually happened.

Sakura fought with all of her might, thrashing out with her legs again. The ninja simply grabbed her by her thighs roughly and pulled her so he thrust his erection into her hips. Sakura became very aware of his desire for a female body, and a few tears leaked from her jade eyes. Luckily, they were both fully clothed still. However, this didn't seem to be the case for long as the male, with one hand still over her mouth, forced her shorts and underwear down to her ankles.

"It's been too long," he breathed into her ear. Sakura fought to keep her thighs clothed as her teeth instinctively sought out to bite the man. Since he had been distracted by undressing her, she was able to clench her teeth down onto his hand. And it was hard and blood began to seep from his hand. That very hand reared up and smacked her hard across her face. "Bitch," he muttered; however, now he was dropping his own pants to the floor.

"Back at you, you sick bastard," she hissed back. "It's not my fault you can't even pay a whore to fuck you, you worthless ugly piece of-"

Another hand hit her in the jaw and she felt it dislocate. "Maybe now you'll shut up."

He was getting dangerously close, and her words had done little to deter his physical desire. Pulling himself between her legs and taking her thighs roughly in his large palms, Sakura braced for the worst.

It didn't come.

In fact, very suddenly the man was off and away from her, and pressed to the other end of the wall; almost comically, his pants were still down, but his desire seemed to have fled that particular extremity.

Suspended two feet from the ground, Itachi held the man by his throat against the wall. Never before had Itachi understood what 'blind-rage' or 'seeing red' meant, but now he was sure he did. However, a very good part of him was more than relieved that he had reached her just in time.

"Release her," Itachi commanded with the most deadly intent in his tone and his red eyes as he glared at the man. The ninja did, and Itachi heard Sakura fall to the floor and she let a cry of pain rip through her as she landed on her ankle.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry," the ninja sputtered. "I didn't know she was Akatsuki."

"You should die with your mouth shut for you will only make it worse," Itachi replied in the same deadly tone. Sakura was pulling her underwear and shorts back on, and then she fell to the ground, holding her arms and shaking lightly.

"Have mercy," the man replied, his voice trembling in fear at the look in Itachi's eyes. Mercy? The ninja had to be joking. He was certainly showing Sakura no mercy when Itachi had arrived. That very man who was now begging for mercy like a weak child was about to _rape_ Sakura. _His _Sakura. Itachi shook the notion off the moment in jumped into his mind – she wasn't his, but he liked the way it sounded. Regardless, that was beside the point. Judging by the bruises on her face and the way she coddled her arm, no one had shown the girl mercy all day. That was a joke.

"No," Itachi replied, and pinwheels started to rotate in their sockets. The man was gone into his genjutsu before he even realized what happened. After hours in Itachi's alternate universe, and only mere seconds in real life, the man fell unconscious. However, he was still alive. Itachi reached up with his left hand, as his right was still holding the man to the wall by his neck, and with one swift twist, his neck was broken.

Lifeless, Itachi allowed the man's body to slump to the floor. This was perhaps the first time Itachi had killed and it had been truly satisfying. It was the first time he had killed for someone; he had been defending someone he kind-of-sort-of-maybe cared about. Now, he turned his attentions back to said person.

Sakura was just staring at him through trembling jade eyes. She was still on the floor, cradling one arm in the other and it was clear that it was broken. Itachi walked over to her slowly trying to assess her condition thoroughly. Then, to his utter surprise, Sakura jumped up using the one good leg she had and threw herself into Itachi's arms.

Her one good arm wrapped around his torso in a forceful grip and she buried her face into his chest, her other arm hanging limp at her side. "I never thought I would be so glad to see you," she whispered, allowing a muffled cry to escape her lips.

Just like two days ago, Itachi wasn't sure how to reciprocate such a gesture. It was as if it were so natural for her to find her way into his embrace, so he allowed his body to take over and he pulled her in tighter. She was now flush against him and his Akatsuki cloak seemed to engulf her. He allowed his cheek to lie on the top of her head as his hands rested on the small of her back. Enjoying the contact, he allowed his arms to squeeze her in a little tighter, and he was suddenly aware that this was a very intimate embrace for just a platonic relationship.

Sakura squeaked a little, but she didn't pull back. Itachi was warm and comforting, and that was what she needed right now. Right now, even though he may be one of the 'bad guys', he had saved her from a trauma and a fate some would say was worse than death. Plus, Sakura was beginning to have major doubts whether he _was_ one of the bad guys. Also she was thoroughly enjoying the contact with Itachi, consequences be damned. She was sure her inner would be swooning if she had been a conscious part of her mind right now.

Itachi suddenly stiffened underneath her, and pulled her back by her shoulders lightly, much to her displeasure. As if reading her thoughts, he whispered, "Deidara and Kisame are almost here."

Sakura pulled back and braced herself on Itachi's arm, as if she was trying to walk. Itachi almost laughed out loud – the girl clearly was having trouble staying conscious much less making the four mile trek back to the base. Sakura looked up at him, confused at the pure amusement in his now onyx eyes (she had instructed him to turn the Sharingan off the second he finished using his genjutsu, after all).

Itachi pulled his cloak off as the girl was now shivering at the cold dampness of the black cave, in addition to her emotional ordeal. He tucked it around her securely and then pulled her onto his back quickly and pulled her legs lightly around him and she draped her arms unceremoniously around his neck and over his chest. She could barely hold on, but his firm grip told her that she would not fall. Sakura barely registered the pain shooting through her after being tossed around like a rag doll.

What was it with Itachi and man-handling her after she gets sexually assaulted? She logged that this was the second time this had happened – the first being the time in the woods after Noboru had tried to have sex with her. Of course, this situation was much different, but the principle of the thing was still the same. At least it was to her.

He strode out of the cave carefully as she held onto the last vestiges of consciousness she could. Itachi was very conscious of her curves against his back, but he tried to ignore them. It was more than inappropriate for so many reasons, one of which being that she was very injured.

Deidara and Kisame had just made their way to the mouth of the cave. Deidara looked very ruffled and Itachi realized that the man's chakra stores were very low. They wouldn't be flying Sakura out of here like Itachi had originally planned. He supposed that he would be carrying her the four miles back, not that he minded.

"She's okay?" Kisame asked, unable to mask the concern in his voice for the kunoichi. Itachi merely inclined his head in response.

"She looks hurt, yeah," Deidara noted, getting closer to the kunoichi, and by default, Itachi. Not liking the blast-nin's proximity, Itachi backed away towards the house where they were staying.

"She will need to be healed when we return," Itachi replied. "She has several injuries, but none of them are life threatening."

Deidara nodded and they began their journey back at a relatively fast pace, but Itachi tried to keep his strides lucid and even. Each time he took a step the wrong way or had to change direction quickly, the barely-conscious Sakura would groan in utter discomfort and pain. The sounds discomfited the Uchiha so he attempted to make the journey back a smooth one for her.

As they entered the house, Deidara asked, "Where's Tobi, yeah?"

"Miss your boyfriend already?" Kisame replied, trying to ruffle the blond. Deidara whipped back around and held an obscene finger up to the shark ninja who just laughed. Itachi made his way past them, ignoring their inappropriate antics, and into Sakura's room. Kisame and Deidara were following him, and they helped him lower the girl onto the bed.

Sakura let out a sigh of pain as her body hit the bed and Itachi kneeled next to her. Pushing his mediocre diagnostic chakra into her, he felt every break and bruise. Slowly, he replaced diagnostic chakra with healing chakra.

First, he addressed the head wounds and concussion. Those were most threatening to her. Then, he moved onto the ankle and wrist, mending the broken bones. Finally, he treated her jaw, but he felt that something was still wrong with her. Her face was flushed with heat, but her entire body felt cold to the touch and she was shivering.

Meekly, Sakura regained some consciousness as the last of her visible wounds were healed. Slowly, she reached out and grabbed Itachi's wrist to get his attention. "Itachi," she whispered. Itachi was over her, searching her dazed eyes. "Poison," she grit out but her eyes closed as a wave of pain rushed over her.

Itachi didn't know what to do – poisons were hardly his specialty. He shook her lightly, "Sakura."

"Sodium nitrate – it was in my bag when you captured me…dissolve…one ounce…water…" she managed to mumble, but then she slipped into a fitful slumber again. Deidara had been behind him the entire time and ran to his room where he kept Sakura's original belongings. He quickly found the vial she had been talking about and rushed back into Sakura's room. Kisame he retrieved the water and quickly they were diluting the substance into it.

Itachi shook her again and Sakura mumbled something incoherent but her eyes opened. Propping her up, he held the glass to her lips. Sakura drank without question and fell back down into the bed. "Thanks," she whispered. Itachi felt his heart jolt a bit when he realized that she would be okay – at least that's what he had taken from her last words to them.

What seemed like an eternity later, her temperature seemed to regulate itself and her skin turned to a normal pallor. Itachi didn't leave her room that night for fear that she would suddenly relapse and die on them. That was hardly favorable for so many reasons.

One, Konoha would come after them and attack them hopelessly until the entire Akatsuki was destroyed. He had gathered that Sakura seemed to be a beloved member of their world. Perhaps they weren't so clueless after all, if they put stock in people like Sakura.

Two, Leader would be much less than pleased. He wanted the girl for the Akatsuki as she possessed great power and prowess as a medic. He seemed to believe she would be an invaluable asset to them all.

Three, she was healing his eyes and heart condition saving him from future pain and suffering. Not to mention he kind-of-sort-of maybe cared for her just a little bit – enough to want to keep her around for at least a little while longer. Despite the fact that he and Kisame were currently trying to hash out a plan of how to get her back home in one piece, without Leader discovering how they did it.

Now thoroughly exhausted himself, Itachi pulled two of the cushions that were next to the low table in her room together and laid down. He would only close his very sore eyes for a few moments before returning to observe her condition. Yes…only a few moments…

X

_Tsunade-sama,_

_We have picked up her trail in northern Earth Country. Records show she was on a barge to Lightning Country using one of her usual aliases. I believe they allowed her to choose what name she would be travelling under. We are stopping for twenty-four hours to rest and restock supplies, and then we will continue the search._

_Neji_

Tsunade shook her head at the note – Lightning Country? Why take her to that god forsaken place? Sakura hates the rain – she thrives in bright sunlight. Not that the Akatsuki would know that. However, maybe they did. Knowing Sakura, she would make friends with them all because that's just who Sakura is. Perhaps that was why she was staying with them.

Her recollection of her debriefing of Team Ebisu came to mind. Sakura had told them that she was staying with the Akatsuki for the same reason she did everything else. When the hokage had asked Konohamaru and Moegi what that was, they had replied that Sakura does everything to protect Konoha and the ones she loves.

Therefore, the hokage had to assume that Sakura had a very good reason for staying with them and helping the Uchiha. The frighteningly irritating part is she couldn't figure out why. In all the messages Sakura had managed to get back – Sasuke, Team Ebisu, even the underlying message in her birthday gift to Naruto – hadn't explained _why _she was choosing this path. If Tsunade could only understand the reasoning behind everything…

Her musings soon ended with a knock on the door. "Come in," she replied, hiding her bottle of sake in the top drawer of her desk.

Morino Ibiki walked in with Inoichi Yamanaka behind him. "So?" she prompted.

"The boy seems to be aware that Orochimaru has implanted his soul within him, but he's fighting the foreign body," Inoichi explained. "The displeasure he seems to emit is genuine and he's battling with everything he has to keep Orochimaru under control."

Tsunade sighed a bit in relief. If Sasuke truly was trying to defeat the snake-sannin from within, it meant that there was hope for him yet. The question was where to go from here? How could she extract a piece of soul? That would be the next step – get Orochimaru out of Sasuke. It was way beyond her repertoire of medical knowledge. This was where Sakura would pipe up with some ludicrous idea, but it would be brilliant, and they would find a way to do it. Even if Sakura had not yet surpassed the Godaime in pure strength and medical ability, her creativity and determination was bar-none, which gave her an advantage that no one else had.

However, now this mind was in the hands of the Akatsuki. Tsunade was just glad that her mental barrier seemed to work against the Uchiha's Sharingan.

"Hokage-sama?" Ibiki asked.

"Huh?" she asked as she hadn't heard anything the two men had said during her reverie.

"I was asking what you'd like to do with the Uchiha?" he asked again.

"We can't have him running around with Orochimaru inside his mind because the possibility of him taking over it too great," Tsunade replied. Her mind was trying to formulate the best response. "He also has to wait to stand trial, but it may be several months before that happens. Down grade him to a high-risk inmate as opposed to a maximum-risk and explain your findings to Kakashi Hatake and Shikamaru Nara. Don't tell Naruto, though."

The two agreed and bowed lightly, and then they left her. Pulling her sake back out, she took a swig straight from the bottle. Sakura, what do you have in mind for all of this?

X

Sakura had smashed herself as far into the comfortable couch that sat in the house library as far as she could go. Having pulled out an all-too-familiar medical dictionary, she was leafing through its pages thoughtlessly. She had this particular edition at home and right now she needed something familiar to distract her.

It had been two days since the attack. She had woken the next morning groggy, sore and still slightly off from the poison, but she felt better. Itachi was lying with his back against the wall on two cushions, his eyes shut. He had clearly been sleeping, but when Sakura rustled his eyes shot open. Sakura wanted to comment on his ruffled looking appearance and unclear eyes, but he had waved her off silently. He had regarded her wordlessly and then asked about her injuries. After discussing the events for a moment he had stood up and left the room, only to come back a few minutes later with chicken soup and some crackers.

He had told her to take it easy and keep her food intake light as they were still unaware of the poison that she had been afflicted with. Sakura had agreed wholeheartedly, and was a little touched by his concern. Thinking back to the event, she realized just how truly _angry _Itachi had been at the whole situation. The Uchiha had seemed truly incensed and Sakura couldn't help but think (okay, maybe she was wishing) that Uchiha Itachi cared for her; even if it was just a little bit.

Kisame had seemed disgruntled by the whole situation, and Deidara had spent the good part of today and yesterday apologizing and begging for her forgiveness. There was nothing to forgive, though. He clearly hadn't sensed the presence of the men, and she certainly had been unaware. It was just something that happened, or didn't happen thank to Itachi.

Sakura then found herself very aware of the missing Akatsuki Tobi. After asking where he had gone, Deidara said he had a tracking solo mission to do for one of the jinchuriki. Sakura's inquiries stopped there but only after they had assured her that it wasn't Naruto. She remembered her entire chest feeling so light and relieved at that particular moment that she had gone up and hugged Kisame for delivering such good news. He had just laughed and patted her on the shoulder like she was some little child.

Now, Sakura was enjoying some light reading before bed about the human heart, trying to make sure she was an expert before she dared try to heal Itachi's. She was still an expert, of course, and she found herself able to identify every portion of the organ. Her entire body was still so exhausted and affected by the poison that she hadn't been able to do any healing for Itachi. She felt bad about this, but he assured her that it was alright, and that she should just get better soon. Once again, his words had struck her as oddly compassionate. However, she had just brushed it off as her _wanting_ him to care.

Itachi walked into the library silently. Sakura was staring at a large diagram of the human heart, her brows furrowed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Itachi nearly laughed out loud at how endearing the face was, but he managed to suppress it as such a display of emotion on is part would be incredibly uncharacteristic and abnormal. He settled for the smirk that had now tugged its way onto his lips instead.

Sakura looked up at him and smiled at him lopsided. "Just trying to make sure I remember everything," she explained a little languidly, her eyelids dropping a bit.

"You need rest," Itachi replied walking over to her. "You are still healing."

Sakura nodded in agreement. She had been about to protest, Itachi noted, because her brow had furrowed again and she'd gotten that stubborn look in her eye, but then her mouth widened in an unexpected yawn. There was no point in arguing now, she supposed. To her surprise Itachi held out his hand to her, offering to help her up.

Sakura tentatively took his hand in hers as she braced herself on his firm grip. Pulling herself up, she had forced too much strength into the gesture, due to her not being familiar with her body and it's reactions from the poison, that she was quickly falling into him. Hitting him in the chest with her body, she pulled back quickly, a flush in her cheeks. "Sorry," she muttered, pulling away from his grip completely.

Itachi merely observed the entire thing silently. Surely, he could have avoided that entire scenario, but he enjoyed seeing the pinkette flustered and he wasn't going to object to the contact. "It's fine," he replied.

Sakura walked out of the library with a book in hand, and Itachi couldn't help but grab it from her grip. It had been resting on the table before while she had been studying the human heart, and he was curious to see what she read besides medical textbooks. _The Legends of the Samurai_ he read.

"Itachi, give it back!" Sakura squealed, trying to steal the book back. He was able to dodge her advances, though, as he floated lightly around the hallway. If he hadn't had the book in his hand, it would look as if they were trying some sort of odd and perverse dance. Finally, after he had perused it, he snapped it shut and looked at her.

Sakura stopped dead as she locked eyes with his. For a moment, just a moment, she was sure that she saw something in his black eyes that was different. It was a strange mix between desire and affection, and she was positive it was there. This wasn't just her hoping it was there because she had made sure she looked twice.

This was something she had learned in all of her time spent with the Uchiha over the past two months: his emotions graced his features for a mere moment before he was able to return them to their normal passivity. That was only when the emotions were strong enough to make it to his face in the first place because they rarely did. Sakura noted that she had just enough time to get two glimpses of an emotion before he would return his face to its' normal state.

Therefore, after two pointed looks at Itachi Uchiha in the hallway, she was sure as to what she had saw. In fact, even now as he just stared at her determined look blankly, Sakura was sure of what she had seen. And now, she was thoroughly confused.

He desired her – at least on a physical level. That had been very clear in his eyes and now that she thought about it, there were a few other times that she caught those glimpses. She had seen him silently noting her female physique a few times, but she ignored it because it was something males just did. At least, they just did it around her, and she'd spent enough time with Kakashi and Naruto to know that they did it to most other females with a shapely body.

However, there was something else there – the affection. Where the hell did that come from?

That's when Sakura's thoughts got cut off by an Uchiha who was suddenly _very _close to her. "You are overthinking things, Sakura," he whispered quietly as he leaned down next to her ear.

Her body automatically pressed against the wall behind her as he slowly boxed her in. The proximity and heat of his breath was enough to make her shiver a bit at the closeness. It also made her a little uncomfortable. It was a mere two days ago she was in the same, yet a very different, position with another male. Except that male had forced that on her, but this one wasn't. Sakura knew that if she asked, this male would back off instantly. However, she found herself not wanting to ask.

She managed to keep her cool, though, at least outwardly. "You're one to talk. You're the most calculating person I know," she retorted, trying not to think too much about the fact that Uchiha Itachi was leaning very close to her, and the fact that his hand had slowly made its way to her hip.

"Not about this," he replied smoothly, but he was already pulling back. His hand moved its way to the back of her neck and he pulled her in. He forced the book he had into her shocked hands and kissed her lightly on the forehead before pulling back completely. The spot where he had pressed his lips tingled and Sakura nearly shuddered again. "Goodnight, Sakura," he mumbled into the top of her head.

Then, he disappeared behind his bedroom door silently.

* * *

AN: Alright I hope you liked it! Oh here's a summary for The First Time. I hope you read it. Please review!

The First Time:

The first time he saw Haruno Sakura, he was nine and she was five. The first time he talked to Haruno Sakura, she was twelve and he was seventeen. The first time he took real note of Haruno Sakura, she was fifteen and he was nineteen. Little did he know that such inconsequential meetings would affect the rest of his life. AU Itachi/Sakura Non-massacre.


	12. The Poison of Life

AN: Okay there are a few important announcements I have to make. Before those, I'm going to apologize in advance for any mistakes/confusion with this chapter. It is late and I'm tired. I tried to proofread…I really did….

Okay, onto the announcements.

I've completely changed the way this story is going to go. Surprise! But…I think you'll like it because it means there will be a sequel to this story. I really hadn't intended for there to be but there's no way I can accomplish what I want to in one story.

I've decided the next multi-chaptered fic I'll be writing. It's going to be a DeidaraXSarura! Thanks for everyone who pitched in. I've already got the premise figured out, but I won't start writing until after this and Blue Jays are done. Then I will focus on the DeiXSaku story as well as completing The First Time. Sometime after those are well on their way, I'll start a GaaraXSakura fic at some point…and then the sequel to this will find its way up as I've already pretty much figured out the premise for that as well.

I've decided on two short stories I'm going to drabble with when I find my multi-chaptered fics difficult. The first is a ShisuiXSakura story. I never even considered the pairing until y'all suggested it. I tried reading some ShisuiXSakura fanfics and realized that there really weren't any. I'll change that! And I kinda like the pairing anyway… It won't be long 3-5 chapters max, but I think you'll like it. My idea for it is a little weird and out there but I think you'll like it. The second one I'll be dipping into is a NejiXSakura prequel to this story. I think it'd be fun to elaborate on their story before Sakura falls for Itachi.

Okay that's all for now. Hopefully I'll have an update for Blue Jays and The First Time at some point in the near future. For now, though, goodnight!

Please review!

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 12: The Poison of Life**

* * *

_"Remorse is the poison of life."_

_-Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre_

* * *

_Tsunade-sama,_

_Reached Lightning Country,_

_Attacked by Uchiha Itachi and his partner, Kisame. _

_No fatalities – just enough injuries to slow us for a few days as they separated us all. The only ones not separated were I and Ino Yamanaka. Several false trails laid with Sakura's chakra signature on it. Determining which one is the real one and then we will proceed. All signs point to diversion, not violence._

_Neji._

His furious pen scribbled the note and he tied it to the messenger hawk. His face was devoid of emotions, but internally he was raging. _I will find you, Sakura_.

X

Sakura wouldn't have overthought it. No, she wouldn't have spent the last week thinking about what had happened. However, the next morning, Itachi and Kisame were gone – apparently on a mission – leaving Sakura with Deidara and the recently returned Tobi. Now the kunoichi had nothing but time and all she could do was think about _it_.

What was _it_? The Uchiha had shown some open affection towards her. That was the only way she could describe it – it wasn't the teasing contact he had made after their little mission to bend her to his will. It was _real _contact. The closeness of their bodies, the way his hand went to her hip, the chaste kiss on her forehead – they were all open displays of affection. But why? Hell, if she remembered correctly, she had hated the Uchiha a few weeks ago. Where did that go? oh yeah, out the door with everything else she knew when she discovered the truth about the Uchiha clan massacre. Sakura shook her head lightly as she sat in her room, three books lay unapologetically abandon on her nightstand. Itachi had essentially told her not to overthink it.

So if this were anyone else in the entire world, what would the signs point to on the most basic human levels? Sakura couldn't help but think of her first _real_ date with Neji – she didn't count the mission they had just returned from. It had taken Neji two weeks after that mission was completed for him to ask her out for real. It had been a relatively normal date for two people who were essentially complete opposites. After dinner and a quiet stroll through the park, Neji led her home. Sakura had braced herself for a kiss – what she wanted since it had been a pleasurable evening – but Neji had placed an innocent kiss on her forehead instead and departed for the Hyuuga compound. At first, the lack of kiss had offended her, but then she was just glad for the entire evening and that Neji hadn't wanted to rush anything.

It wasn't long before Neji had kissed her for real. By no means was it her first kiss, but Sakura still thought of it as her favorite. They had been training. After what seemed like hours of her avoiding his gentle fist technique and him running from trees that were being hurled at him, they collapsed on the ground in complete exhaustion. Neji was only a foot away from her and they just stared at each other for a few moments. Then, his hand rose towards her cheek and he brushed his thumb along her cheekbone lightly. An affectionate smile took his lips and his eyes flashed with amusement.

"You have dirt on your cheek," he said in a hushed, subdued voice. Then, he had pulled himself closer and cupped her cheek in his hand. She was laying on her back, still exhausted from the training, as he positioned himself next to her, looming over her a little, and leaned his head in – taking his lips in hers.

Sakura shot up in bed, trying to ignore the absolute agony her stomach was in at the memory. Perhaps thinking about Neji at a time like this was inappropriate.

So, back to analyzing the Uchiha, she decided. What did his actions mean at the most basic form of observation? He wanted to be close to her, and perhaps he even cared about her in non-platonic fashion. The thought made Sakura gasp out loud, but then shake her head at the ridiculous notion. From what she knew of the Uchiha, he didn't want to be close to anyone. Then again, what did she _really_ know about him? Everything she had learned since coming to live with the Akatsuki told her that Itachi was much more complicated emotionally than what anyone else knew. He truly cared for his family, yet he was forced to kill them. All of his actions also pointed to the fact that he cared for Sasuke as well – he hadn't allowed her to kill his younger brother, for example.

Figuring out his motives and intentions was getting frustrating, Sakura decided. What was even worse was figuring out her own feelings, dammit. Itachi was stoic yet caring, devilishly handsome, an amazing shinobi, deceptively sensitive and compassionate. When he stares at her with such intensity, her entire body goes rigid except for her stomach, which does backflips at his attention. He's perfect, _but_ he's still the enemy, technically. He is working for an organization that for all intents and purposes is trying to kill her best friend. That could put a damper on any repressed feelings.

A low grumble in the pit of her stomach halted her train of thoughts. Food: the perfect thing to get her mind off of Itachi. Pulling herself out of bed in one swift motion, she ran her hands through her hair and pat her clothes down, deeming herself presentable. As she exited and walked through the short corridor to the kitchen, she felt four familiar presences in the kitchen. Ah, they were home. Her entire body began to shake involuntarily as she honed in on one particular chakra point – Itachi. What would she say? How would she act? Sighing, she decided she would act normal – that's what he would be doing anyway.

She slid the shoji screen open to enter a room with palpable tension. Itachi was glaring –_ glaring –_ at Kisame, who looked quite ruffled himself, under the Uchiha's unwanted intense gaze. Deidara held his head in his hands lightly. Sakura wasn't sure what Tobi was thinking or feeling, but he did seem a little more rigid and stiff than usual.

"Hey, guys, how was the mission?" Sakura asked quietly, trying to feel out what was going on.

Itachi stood swiftly but didn't look at her. "Fine, you tell her," he practically hissed, and then he swept passed her without even sparing her a glance. Sakura felt her face flush and her entire body went firm at his cool demeanor. She had turned around to follow him out of the room when Kisame's voice stopped her.

"Wait," he ordered a little more sternly than he had meant to. "Sit down, Sakura. There's something we need to discuss with you."

"But Ita-," she began to protest.

Deidara finally lifted his head out of his hands to look at her with wary eyes. "He gets a little…temperamental this time of year," he explained. "Just leave him alone, yeah. It'll pass."

"Why?" Sakura asked reflexively. Kisame merely motioned for her to sit down at the kitchen table, which she did this time without objection.

"Ten years," he muttered. "Ten years ago tomorrow."

"Oh," Sakura replied, the comprehension visible on his face. "Tomorrow's the anniversary of the Uchiha clan massacre." In all of this mess, she had almost forgotten. Her body grew heavy with sadness and grief for Itachi. He was probably suffering so much.

"Hm," Kisame replied, inclining his head lightly. He knew this particular conversation was going to be a difficult one to get through. The kunoichi was volatile when provoked, and she has seemed to be in such an emotionally fragile state as of late. Additionally, it was only a week ago that she was attacked, beaten, and almost raped. Surely, she was not going to take this news lightly. What her reaction would be – he did not know. Itachi should be the one discussing this with her. He seemed to have an innate way of keeping her…less violent…when he explained things to her.

At first, Kisame had chalked it up to the fact that they were spending so much time together during their healing sessions. Then he'd caught the Uchiha looking at her in a certain way. It took him a little while to realize what it was but then he figured it out – his little teammate was smitten. There was no mistake or doubt about it – the soft, tender affection in Itachi's obsidian eyes was blatant to Kisame as they had been partners for so long. Itachi would never admit it, but his desire for the kunoichi was much more than just physical. No, he could not blame this all on normal male hormones like he usually did when Kisame caught him looking at women. Kisame almost laughed at the insinuation, but this was no time for jokes. Itachi really should be the one to explain this to Sakura as she is his captive…sort of.

"Itachi-san will get sad and stay in his room all day tomorrow," Tobi piped. "He usually doesn't come out for the entire day. Even to eat." Sakura merely nodded.

"So what does he want you to tell me?" she asked, turning the attention back to what she had heard when she first entered the room.

"He doesn't want us to tell you anything, yeah," Deidara snapped, clearly still annoyed with his previous interactions with the Uchiha. "That's what we were arguing about. 'It's none of her concern,' he said, 'Nothing will change her mind,' he said. He's so stupid."

Sakura was taken aback by Deidara's sudden vehemence. "Just tell me," she prodded lightly.

"When we captured you, we were given two options as to what to do with you. The first, I'm sure you know, is that we interrogate you, use you as bait for the kyuubi, and then kill you. That had been our original plan," Kisame explained. "But we kept you unaware of the other option for particular reasons…"

"What option?" Sakura asked, taken completely off guard by this conversation.

"Well," Kisame laughed a little, but it was hallowed and bitter. "You made your own damn option by offering to heal Itachi's eyes, but the Leader wanted us to recruit you to the Akatsuki."

Sakura's mind went blank as the news sunk in – the reaction: visceral and sudden. Sakura gasped, audibly gasped, and slammed her hands on the table before she could even think about her response. Now, however, she had not been forced to wear the chakra restraints (since they didn't really work on her anyway), and the table shattered into millions of shards under her fists. Sakura gasped again as she dropped to her knees in order to collect the shards. Everyone at the table just stared at her, stunned. "Sorry…" she muttered. "You just took me off guard…"

"It's okay, yeah," Deidara replied wispily, his eyes still wide with the display of force. "There are other tables around…"

"Sakura, sit down," Kisame ordered. Once again, it was sterner than he had intended. Sakura got up and took her place in her chair, not looking at any of them. She twiddled her thumbs nervously in her lap and her jade eyes peered at them as if her hands held all the earth's secrets. The news was slowly creeping its way through her brain and then it sunk down to her throat, causing an unwanted lump to form there. Then it fell to her heart that was pounding so loudly she thought she may be having an attack, her stomach dropped, and the news landed in her knees that were shaking lightly.

"That was unexpected…" she whispered, still not looking up.

"Clearly, yeah," Deidara replied with a smirk as his hands waved in front of him, gesturing towards the devastated table.

"Let me finish," Kisame hissed at Deidara, but he noticed it was Sakura that jumped. Clearly she was very on edge with this most recent development. "Like I said, you kind of changed everything around here, kid. You messed with the great Uchiha Itachi's plans -"

Sakura crinkled her nose. "What plans?" she retorted. Really, what had she changed in Itachi's life that dramatically?

"That's neither here nor there, now, though. You can ask him about that later. The point is that on our way home, we were summoned by our leader. So we went and talked with him, and he's an idiot, and brought up some very touchy subjects with Itachi while it's _that_ time of the year," Kisame stopped to snicker a bit. He almost made Itachi sound like a menstruating female. The joke was lost on everyone else and he shook it off. "Anyway, Leader is getting impatient. He believes he has given you ample time to heal Itachi's eyes and heart, and he believes you to have ulterior motives. Therefore, he has given us a few options as of what to do with you-"

"I'm a human being, you know," Sakura snapped, her eyes turning indignant and her arms crossing her chest in defiance. "Despite what your _Leader_ says, I have my own options."

"You're not human to him, yeah. You are a tool," Deidara snapped back, genuine anger flashing through his cerulean eyes. "Now listen so we can save your life, woman!"

Sakura winced. It was the first time Deidara had been really mean to her. Not his usual, teasing self, but really mad and snippy with her. Keeping her arms crossed, she looked down at her knees. "Sorry…" she mumbled.

Deidara's eyes suddenly turned sympathetic. "No, it's okay, yeah," he replied, not wanting to upset her. Kisame watched with interest. Had Deidara taken an interest in her as well that was beyond 'normal male attraction' as Itachi would call it? A smirk gleamed onto his features. What would Itachi think of that?

"Well it wouldn't kill you to be a little more sensitive!" Sakura retorted hastily.

"Shut up, woman! You're more stubborn that a mule, yeah!" Deidara spat back.

Sakura rolled her eyes, big and ostentatious. "No wonder you can't get a girlfriend," she hissed. "You're such an ass."

Deidara had pulled himself up, his eyes glistening with excitement at the challenge. Sakura had done the same, her hands landing firmly on her hips, pride luminous in her emerald eyes. Kisame rolled his eyes to himself. Perhaps Itachi didn't have anything to worry about. "Both of you sit down and shut up!" Kisame roared. They were getting on his last nerve.

Sakura squeaked and obliged instantly. Deidara did the same, but a more temperate and huffed pace. "Sakura we are well aware that you are human," Kisame continued where their conversation had been put off. When had he become the calm, mature one? Usually he'd be egging a fight between Sakura and Deidara on, ready to wager on the winner. "However, Leader does not view you as such. There were really only two options he gave us. One, we can kill you the second you're done healing Itachi. Two, we get you to join up by using…any means necessary."

Sakura winced. Kisame's words had come out a little more rushed and heated than she'd thought and it was clear that this was affecting him. "What means?" she squeaked.

"That's where Itachi-san would have to help," Tobi interjected. He had seemed content to watch the scene unfold without his speaking, but Sakura couldn't tell. Something made her uneasy around this particular Akatsuki, and she wasn't sure why.

However, Sakura was muddling through what he could mean. That's where Itachi would have to help…"Genjutsu," she whispered; fear taking over her already strained emotions.

"One of the options he presented," Kisame replied gruffly, "Which seemed to unsettle Itachi completely…" Kisame lied. Okay the other option was the one that had _really_ infuriated Itachi, but Sakura didn't need to know about _that_ option, at least not yet.

"What were the others?" she asked, not really wanting to know.

"Don't worry about it, kid," Kisame replied. Sakura blanched. "Well as best as you can. Just focus on healing Itachi as quickly and thoroughly as you can. Oh, I have to tell you something else. We ran into the team of Leaf-nin searching for you-"

"WHAT?" Sakura exclaimed as she jumped up, chakra channeling into her fists in an instinctual physical reaction.

"Calm down, we didn't kill them!" Kisame retorted. Sakura's body softened a little and the chakra left her hands, but her stance was still rigid and her eyes leaked with fury. "We merely incapacitated them and separated them. Don't worry, they were safe. We made sure to leave the kunoichi with male just in case," Kisame explained.

Sakura visibly stiffened. Kunoichi? That would be Ino. "You better have," she bit out. "That kunoichi is my best friend and I _will_ kill you, all of you, if anything happened to her."

"Don't worry; she was already coming around by the time we left. We also spread a whole bunch of fake trails to dissuade them. However, we will be leaving the day after tomorrow for another base. I think that's all the time we'll have," Kisame clarified. Sakura fell back into her chair and she allowed her head to fall into her palms with a _thunk_.

Sakura nodded. "Go get some rest," Deidara ordered, "You look like you're about to faint, yeah."

And nearly faint she did as she jumped onto her bed, burying her face in the pillow. Her earlier hunger had been completely forgotten as she digested everything she had been told that day. She should be more worried, she should be fretful. But all she could do now was close her eyes and allow her body to sleep-

X

Sakura woke up the next morning a little more chipper. Pushing all memories and information about the previous night to the back of her head (mental blocks could do wonders for compartmentalization), she pulled herself from her bed and showered quickly. Changing into her black vest, black ninja shorts, and red skirt, she grabbed a basket that was in the living room.

There were some plants that grew in Lightning Country that were very rare herbs. Some of them would come in handy with Itachi's eyes, heart, and lungs. Others she would bring back to Konoha for further study or medical use. It cost a lot of money to send sentries and medics so far north for such rare herbs, and having them shipped wasn't much cheaper. Also, from what she could tell from her window, it was one of those rare non-raining days in Lightning Country. She would use it to its fullest.

Making her way down the hallway, she noticed Itachi's door closed and the light off. Usually it was only like this when he was sleeping. Surely, he wasn't asleep at this hour, but she could sense him behind the door. Wincing, she remembered that today was the anniversary of the Uchiha massacre. At first she wanted to knock on the door to see how he was doing, but she decided against it. This was perhaps one of those things he just needed to get through alone. Tomorrow, when they left for another base, she would ask him how he was doing. Mind made up, she continued on her way to the kitchen.

"You're lively this morning, yeah," Deidara noted. A new, slightly smaller table had been placed in the center of the room. The remnants of the old one could be found in the waste receptacle by the stove.

"I'm going out," Sakura chirped back, grabbing a roll from the table and shoving it ungracefully in her mouth. Who was she trying to impress, anyway? Kisame and Deidara both gave her a skeptical look. "I'm not going to run, promise."

Deidara's mouth thinned into a stubborn line. "That's not what we're worried about, yeah," he replied coldly. Sakura tilted her head. Deidara scoffed at her ignorance. "What happens if those rogue ninja find you again?"

Sakura blushed, fully blushed, at their concern. She ran to him and squeezed him from the side as it was the only place she could access him – he'd been sitting by the table. Placing a kiss gently on his cheek, she quipped, "Thanks for your concern Deidara-_kun_. You can come with if you want. I'm just gathering herbs."

"Can't," he replied shortly, biting an apple as he rose, and trying to hide the pink that flushed the bridge of his nose and high on his cheekbones. Then he yanked his Akatsuki robe from the back of his chair. "Mission."

"Oh, when will you be back?" she asked curiously.

"I'm just scouting, making sure your friends don't get too close, so I'll be back tonight, yeah," he replied coolly. Sakura's face instantly went blank. "I won't kill them."

Sakura folded her arms over her chest. "I'm convinced," she replied sarcastically. Deidara wasn't the 'silently wait and watch' type. She was sure he'd blow something up by the end of the day.

"Shut up, woman. Spar with me tomorrow, yeah? Before we leave," he asked. Sakura nodded curtly, still not liking the fact that he was going out to stalk her friends. "Good. I'm out, yeah."

He glided effortlessly to the door and walked out without a second look. Sakura turned to Kisame, who had just watched the exchange with an amused look on his face. "You want to come?" she asked innocently.

"Nah, I trust you," he waved her off. Sakura smiled and bit another chunk out of the roll. "Kid," she turned back. Kisame looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Just stay close. And-uh-be careful."

Sakura grinned widely as she left the house. She hated to admit it – okay, she really didn't mind it that much, but if anyone ever asked, she _hated _it – but the men of the Akatsuki were really beginning to grow on her. Apparently, they'd grown somewhat fond of her as well. For some strange reason that pleased her, but she decided the reason wasn't really so strange. Due to all of those years of Sasuke's rejections, Sakura tried to best to please everyone she met. Shikamaru had told her that once, before she had ever noticed she was doing it, and told her it was troublesome because she was not selfish at all. It was a kinda-sorta complement Konoha's number one lazy, pain in the ass ninja gave to the people he cared about. This comment had just made Sakura smile and hug him.

Finding the clearing she was looking for, she bent down to the unfamiliar looking plants. She slung her backpack off her shoulders and pulled out a small medical book that she had found. Leafing through the pages, she found the plant that she was currently looking at and decided it was the right one. She pulled from the root and it came up easily. Yes, these would help Konoha greatly.

She spent an hour there, pulling plants, resting in the sunlight, and then pulling plants again. Keeping her thoughts simple and uncomplicated (unlike every other facet of her life at the moment) she allowed herself to mull over the angle she would take in healing Itachi's heart. Then, she felt a prickle on the back of her neck. Shooting her head up, she saw him sitting on a small hill that overlooked the clearing she was in.

He was sitting with his knees folded slightly to his chest, arms around them, and leaning his chin on the top of his upper arm. Itachi was just watching her quietly, masking his chakra, and observing her work. It was oddly calming to watch her work like she had been – so determined yet relaxed as she took short breaks and watched the animals frolic in the unexpected sunlight. There was something oddly domestic and peaceful about it for him. As he was trying to ignore the aching pain that filled his entire body, he found that watching Sakura was semi-therapeutic. Sure, the grief was very much present, but it was curbed.

Sakura felt herself shift awkwardly, her entire body heating as it instinctually remembered everything that had happened and how she felt about him. Then she remembered that today was his 'dark day' and her heart filled with sadness and sympathy.

"Itachi!" she waved at him, trying to stay bright and optimistic for his benefit only. He merely nodded in response. Sakura quickly pushed the herbs and plants she had accumulated into her backpack and basket. Carrying the medical book (there was no longer room in her pack) she walked up to him and sat down awkwardly next to him.

She didn't fail to notice the deep circles under his reddened eyes, his slightly disheveled hair, and the stress lines on his face were deeper. It made her frown – she didn't really like seeing the Uchiha so unkempt. Her legs pulled to her chest, she mimicked his position unconsciously, and her bare arms brushed the soft material of his black shirt. The contact made her shiver a little.

"Cold?" he asked calmly.

"It's just chilly," she replied. That was maybe an understatement. She had forgotten her Akatsuki cloak at the house, yet it was mid-fall and the air in this country was already nippy with the prospects of snow. Itachi pulled his cloak from where it had been resting on his other side and placed it gently over her shoulders. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt so he didn't necessarily need it.

"Kisame informed you of the most recent development." It was a statement, not a question. Sakura nodded anyway.

"I'm not so worried about it," she admitted – lied a little, yes – but mostly she wasn't horribly concerned. If she ever feared for her life, then she would transport herself away.

"No?" he seemed genuinely curious.

"Not really," she replied with a bitter laugh. Scratching the back of her head, she leaned back a bit. "I guess, besides falling in love with your brother, it's the stupidest thing I've ever done, but I trust you guys."

There were so many things in that statement that surprised Itachi, but he said, before analyzing the latter half of that statement, "You were in love with my brother?"

Sakura snorted, but her tone was still bitten and wry, "When I was twelve."

"Not anymore?" he confirmed. Sakura shook her head, pink tendrils falling into her face. Itachi unconsciously reached his hand out. Gently, he tucked a wisp of her hair back behind her ear. The sudden contact seemed to startle the kunoichi, but her eyes simply turned soft as she stared into the distance. This gave Itachi a moment to analyze her statement further. She trusted them? She trusted _him_. His heart – as if it hadn't gone through enough abuse today – wretched. She trusted him and Leader had given him two options to convince Sakura to join the Akatsuki – either by genjutsu…or by…

'Make her fall in love with you. You obviously have an attachment to the girl, Itachi. She also seems to return those…feelings' Yes, those had been his words. Konan, who had been standing next to Pain, even looked a little startled. Although the fury of the statement – reducing his growing affections for the kunoichi to a mission – overcame him, he managed to stay outwardly calm. He simply stated he wouldn't do either. If Sakura had grown to have…feelings…for him, then he would not corrupt them by sullying their relationship with a mission. She didn't deserve that.

Also, this encounter pointed to something else that made Itachi uneasy. The only way Pain would know of his feelings for Sakura would be if someone told him. Leader was not around enough to sense this. Itachi was sure it wasn't Kisame. His partner of nine years was more loyal to Itachi than he was the Akatsuki, just as Itachi was to him. That left Tobi and Deidara. Itachi doubted the latter – he would not want Sakura hurt. Not that Itachi held any immature emotions such as jealousy, but Deidara had seemed to grow fairly fond of Sakura and she openly returned this sentiment. Not that he was jealous – no such an idea would be ludicrous. That left Tobi.

Itachi didn't even want to begin to analyze _him_. Itachi had always been wary of the secretive Akatsuki because something struck Itachi as oddly familiar with him. In the beginning, he'd tried to ignore it. Clearly, he no longer could ignore him if Tobi was going to Pain and reporting on him. Especially if it put Sakura in danger…

Said kunoichi had just placed her head lightly on Itachi's shoulder and scooted closer toward him. "Are you alright?" she whispered quietly, tentatively. "They said you probably wouldn't come out of your room all day."

"I wasn't intending to," Itachi replied stonily, trying not to let his cool façade break.

"I hope…"Sakura trailed off. For a moment her face took a contemplative look.

"Do not overthink things, Sakura," he echoed as he turned his face a little. He was now practically nuzzling the top of her head.

"I hope that everything gets easier for you. You deserve to be happy," she stated shyly, but Itachi could hear the determination and truth behind her words. Itachi gulped down a response. The girl was infallibly selfless if she thought _he_ deserved to be happy. He slaughtered his entire family and she was telling him he deserved happiness.

If anyone deserved happiness, it was her. Determinedly, Itachi decided, he would make sure she was able to leave the Akatsuki. She deserved to be happy, and she would only find that peace in Konoha, even if it was without him. "You're selfless," he replied calmly.

Sakura seemed surprised by the observation, but she pulled herself away from him to square herself with him fully. "Itachi," she stated commandingly. It was a cue for him to look up at her, and look up at her he did. Jade orbs were filled with tears, brimming with emotion. Itachi had the urge to reach out to her and wipe away one stray tear that fell. "You're the selfless one." The statement hit him like a silent blow to the chest. She continued, "You've devoted your entire life to a village that abandon you and a brother that hates you. You're selfless. If you see yourself as anything less…then…" she bit her lip, "then I'll pummel you into the ground until I beat it into your thick skull."

Itachi chuckled a bit, the pain in his chest and stomach ebbing. "I have no doubt," he replied. The amusement and contentment that had swept through him, before being replaced with the usual ache of his heart, had been genuine. Itachi couldn't remember the last time he'd even cracked a smirk on the anniversary of his family's demise. Slowly, he pulled himself up and reached his hand out to a kneeling Sakura. With a smile full of gratitude, she took it and pulled herself up. Itachi grabbed her pack and her basket – she protested, insisting she was strong enough to carry her own stuff – but he ignored her.

They made their walk back in a companionable silence. Sakura would occasionally make small sounds of contentment when the sun would hit them through the trees, and Itachi would feel the grief within him curb each time – all he wanted was more. More of her; however, he knew her company would now be temporary for sure. He would find a way to get her back to her home.

Entering the house, they only received a raised eyebrow from Kisame, who was studying a few maps and travel reports at the kitchen table. Sakura had Itachi set the basket down at the front door. "Don't touch those herbs. One of them is poisonous if not mixed with the right ingredients," she commanded. The shark-nin merely nodded his head. "I'm going to shower. I've got some of that plant on my skin and it can leave welts if not removed," she announced.

Itachi followed behind her cautiously until they reached her door. She turned to him, raising a curious eyebrow. Itachi halted, her words echoing in his head. _'You're the selfless one'_. So this once, just this once, could he be a little selfish? His little addiction to the kunoichi was most troublesome indeed, but he could restrain himself. If only she didn't part her lips that way, or fidget under his gaze…or blush that way. His finger went to the bottom of her chin, tilting it towards his as he descended his head towards hers.

The kiss was light and chaste. It only lasted a moment, not long enough for Sakura. Itachi pulled back, looking somewhat dazed. Sakura felt a blush creep on her face as her mind whirled at the possibilities.

"Do not overthink it, Sakura," he commanded lightly. Then, just like before, he was gone behind his door as it shut with an almost silent _click_.

'_Do not overthink it Sakura.'_

She could practically still feel his lips on hers, and without overthinking it – without really thinking at all – she decided she wanted more. Walking to his door quickly – before she could lose her nerve – she rapped on the wood lightly. Itachi appeared, the slightest hint of surprise on his face was evident, before he put his stoic mask back into place.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck before he could stop her, and she pulled him down so their lips met. His response was instant although she could tell her actions surprised him greatly. Arms wrapping possessively around her – one settling between her shoulders, pulling her closer, the other on the small of her back – he deepened the kiss. His lips were amazingly silky and soft against hers although he was now dominating the kiss as his lips massaged hers with tender authority. He allowed his tongue to escape his mouth and run along her bottom lip.

However, Sakura wasn't so easy, and playing hard to get was fun…sometimes. Pulling back from him completely, she smiled at him shyly. "Don't overthink it, Itachi," she said with a little more sarcasm than she meant. Then, though, she was gone.

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AN: Okay, I hope you liked it. We've got the first real kiss! Please review?!


	13. Wax Before a Fire

AN: Hey guys! It's been a while. Sorry, I've been busy with school work and other stuffs. However, I give you a pretty long chapter in return? Yeah, that make you happy, yeah?

So I'm not sure how much I love this chapter. It's kind of half-transitional-half-important-shit-that-you-nee d-to-read. It just jumps around a lot, I guess, and I hope it's not too choppy for you. I'm trying to get to the good stuff.

Enjoy.

Review. I love the long comments that really talk about what you like/don't like. If you don't send them, I can't get better. Right?!

I love you all!

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**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 13: Wax Before a Fire**

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_He could not forget the touch of her arms around his neck, impatiently felt as it had been at the time; but now the recollection of her clinging defence of him, seemed to thrill him through and through,-to melt away every resolution, all power of self-control, as if it were wax before a fire._

_-Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South_

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_Breathe in. Breathe out_.

Eyes closed, senses stretched, looking for something – Aha! There he was; he had traveled quickly from the northern to the southwestern portion of the training ground, but she had not expected him to be so far from her. Silently, she slunk through the dense trees that populated the training underground. Jade eyes darted around nervously, trying to pinpoint any floating explosives that could be creeping in the trees.

_How do they even get trees to grow underground anyway? _She thought to herself in a moment of distraction. This was a mistake, though, as she lost her pinpoint in Deidara's exact location. _Dammit_. She hissed to herself as she closed her eyes and expanded her senses once again. However, she would never get the chance to find him because at that second she felt the clay bird.

Her legs reacted instinctually and in a chakra infused jump, she just managed to avoid the blast that would have been right by her left arm. She landed in a tree a few meters away and observed the damage. It had been a small blast as they had agreed to keep the sparring light and non-lethal this morning since they would be leaving for another base in a few hours.

The last thing they needed was for one of them to be hurt or out of chakra because Kisame had said the journey would be a two-day walk to the port city on the eastern border. From there, they would take a passenger barge to Whirlpool Country where the base was hidden. Overall, the journey was said to take at least a week so they couldn't afford to be injured or exhausted. At least, that's what Kisame had said when he'd ordered them to be careful this morning before Sakura and Deidara had begun their spar.

Silently breathing, Sakura concentrated. That could have just been a trap Deidara had set in order to gain her location. So she jumped from her perch in another direction so that he wouldn't find her there. Expanding her senses, she realized she could feel Deidara now at the site where the explosion had occurred. _It was a trap_.

Doubling back, she found him examining the site carefully, looking at the damage the blast had done. Sakura noted the sadistic gleam in his eye at the 'art' he had created and rolled her eyes. But this was her chance to attack, and she was going to take advantage of it. With bated breath, she fell to the floor with kunai in hand. Silently, she began to make her way to where Deidara was still looking for her.

All he heard was the light _swoosh_ of her kunai – he had just enough time to duck and fling himself around towards her. Sakura was prepared for him though as his clay birds flew towards her with equal speed and ferocity that she had unleashed her kunai. Sakura didn't realize they were chakra-sensitive birds, and although she flew out of the way in time, the birds spun back and were flying at her back.

A rain of senbon ejected themselves from Sakura's hands as she countered each clay bird. With tiny explosions, they set off one by one. Knowing that close-quarter combat was hardly Deidara's forte, Sakura rushed towards him in a blinding speed. Her right hand (which felt oddly light due to their 'no chakra laden punches' rule) swung at his face as he jumped backwards to dodge it.

The corners of his mouth hitched up as he clapped his hands together and twenty or so tiny clay balls fell in her face. _The bastards going to erupt them in front of both of us!_ She thought to herself as she rolled out of the way, giving up the offensive position to Deidara. He was throwing more clay birds at her. Her hands formed the seals before she could even think about what she was doing and her palms began to tickle. Quickly, a small ball of lightning was forming between her fingers, and she launched it at one of the birds. Then another, and another, and she heard Deidara swear.

"Dammit, woman! That one almost got me! What are you thinking using an A-rank technique in the middle of a spar?" he yelled as he jumped to hide behind a tree.

As the last bird blew with a small explosion, Sakura laughed. "That's an S-rank technique," she quipped. It really was – it was an alteration of Kakashi's chidori. Since Sakura could never muster the chakra and brute strength needed for that technique, she found a way around it by creating a mass of smaller chidori-like lightning bombs that implemented her chakra control but didn't strain her body too much.

"Beside the point, yeah!" Deidara hissed as he wound back around the tree, glaring at her through his one visible eye as the other was hiding behind his scope. "We agreed to keep this light!"

"You tried to blow me up! Don't think I didn't sense the chakra behind those birds, you idiot! A few of those could have incapacitated me!" Sakura retorted vehemently.

"Fine, let's take things up a notch. How about that, yeah," Deidara spewed back, his own temper quickly losing check of itself.

"Fine!" Sakura roared as her hand reared back and punched the ground, this time laden and brimming with chakra.

Sakura smirked. Deidara blinked.

He managed to jump just in time from the ten foot deep fissure that ran its way towards him quickly. However, Sakura wasn't finished. Another series of hand seals later and two giant earthen hands erupted from the final point of her crevice and lunged at Deidara. Silently, Sakura thanked all of her time with Yamato learning wood and earth release jutsu. It seemed to be quite the surprise to Deidara.

Curses spewing loudly from his mouth, Deidara flung himself back into the trees and ran to get away from her, needing time to make his bombs. Sakura wasn't going to allow that to happen, though, and she chased after him, infusing chakra into her legs to make herself faster than him. Banking around a corner, Sakura lost sight of the man. She stopped, closed her eyes, and tried to feel his presence once again.

Deidara smirked. Sakura blinked.

_BANG!_

Itachi sat straight up in bed at the explosion and the subsequent shutter of the furniture in his room. Giving a quick glance at his clock, he realized it was early – early enough to where no one should be awake yet. As he jumped up to dress himself, he pushed his senses out, expecting there to be enemy ninja around the hideout, but was relieved to find no one there.

Then what had that shutter and explosion been? The answer came a moment later when he heard Kisame growl, "Deidara!" in an angry tone just down the hall. Itachi surmised Kisame was standing right outside of the room that led to the basement training grounds. Deidara had let off an explosion downstairs – it wasn't an attack. Grumbling profanities in his head, Itachi went back and collapsed on his bed in order to get another hour of sleep before too straight days of travel.

He hadn't slept well at all as his mind spent most of the night churning about a certain kunoichi that had kissed him right before he retired for the evening. The sense of conflict that had rose within him returned in one fowl swoop as he settled back into his covers. He found the kunoichi's actions to be unexpected but not unwelcomed, and addictive. Slowly, over the past few months, as he grew accustomed to her presence, he realized what a comfort she had become.

He allowed her to work on his eyes – possibly his most proud possession (if they could be called that). She was someone who he was sharing his darkest secrets with, and she didn't reject him or blame him for the horrible things he had done in his past. When had she managed to weasel her way in like this? When had she become such a permanent fixture next to him, falling in step beside to him? When had he begun to _care_ for her?

All he knew was that this was getting dangerous.

That brought up the other question – what was she thinking? She was a Konoha kunoichi, and although she now knew the truth of the Uchiha massacre, he was still a traitor to her home. Her acts could be seen as treacherous and she could be punished for them. Last night, though, she didn't seem to care. Perhaps that was his fault as well. He had told her that she overthought things too much, and she had listened to what her body told her to do instead of her mind. Now he needed to take his own advice and stop overthinking their current predicament.

Why? Because Itachi knew there was no right answer. No matter what, something was going to go wrong with this. It had to. Either she would abandon Konoha and join the Akatsuki, but resent him and the Akatsuki for the rest of their lives. Or she would return to her home, leaving her and possibly Itachi emotionally scarred. If he kept thinking about it, it would just make matters more complicated.

A noise made Itachi inwardly startle. He no longer had to stop his own internal musings, as loud curses emanating from the hallway were doing it for him. It was Kisame, and he was angry. "Dammit, Deidara, you could have killed her!"

Her? There was only one 'her' they could be referring to, and apparently something had happened to Sakura. Kisame wouldn't sound so upset otherwise. Quickly pulling himself out of bed, Itachi smoothed over his bed-wrinkled clothes as he was preparing to go see what the commotion about Sakura was about. He was sure she wasn't fatally harmed, or Deidara would surely be receiving much more than a scolding from Kisame at the moment.

"It was an accident, yeah! She tried to engulf me into the earth!" Itachi heard Deidara call.

"Go get Itachi. He needs to heal her," Kisame growled. They were now standing outside of Sakura's room, he deduced. This was soon confirmed as he heard her door click open and swiftly slammed shut.

Grumbling to himself, Deidara had sauntered down the hall to Itachi's room, and rapped on the door lightly a few times. Itachi didn't respond and waited for Deidara to enter himself. Tentatively, the door opened, to reveal a haggard looking blond-nin, but he didn't look Itachi in the eye. It was as if he could sense the piercing Sharingan coming from where Itachi stood. "Sakura needs you, yeah," he muttered.

Itachi's hand was around his throat and he was propped uncomfortably against the wall in less time than Deidara could register. "What. Did. You. Do?" Itachi murmured darkly, staring into Deidara's cerulean eyes. However, he was inwardly cursing himself. He should never show so much emotion towards a person about Sakura. Deidara, especially, would use his…feelings…for Sakura against him, even though it would most likely be in a teasing manner.

Deidara gripped Itachi's wrists in a confining way, ready to disperse the emergency bombing clay he always kept in his hands. "Nothing, yeah, we were just sparring, and it got a little out of hand. She's mostly burned."

Itachi narrowed his eyes imperceptivity but allowed Deidara to fall ungracefully as he stepped back. "Is she conscious?"

Deidara smirked. "Don't worry, your little _girlfriend_ was dazed but awake when I left her with Kisame."

"Hm," Itachi replied almost silently as he glided from the room, allowing an amused Deidara to follow behind him. Entering Sakura's room, he quickly noted they were not there, but the bathroom door was open and the light was on.

A loud an annoyed voice filtered into the bedroom. "I'm fine! I can heal it later!" Sakura groaned unconvincingly.

"C'mon sweetheart," Kisame rebuffed, "You can't travel like this. Itachi will be in here in a minute to take care of you."

Itachi heard it – Kisame's tone was filled with so much insinuation that any other man would blush. In fact, Deidara was blushing and snickering audibly behind Itachi. Said Uchiha turned and glared at Deidara, telling him 'you go no further.' Itachi swept into the bathroom to find Sakura sitting on the edge of the bathtub, holding her mangled shirt up to stay decent with Kisame lounging on the toilet, looking rather pleased with himself.

Sakura was bright red behind the grime that littered her face from the spar. Other than the tint of her cheeks, Itachi could make out several dangerous burns marking her neck, back, and ribs. Sakura wouldn't be able to heal them herself, and Itachi knew that because she couldn't reach where some of the burns were. Instead of holding eye contact with a very embarrassed and frustrated kunoichi, Itachi turned back to look at Deidara. When he looked, he really fixed a glare so intense that it made Deidara bow out of the room in order to preserve his life.

"Go," Itachi ordered to Kisame, in no mood to argue. Kisame scoffed teasingly, but snickered as he jumped from the toilet seat to leave the room.

_Click_. The door to the bathroom was closed. _Click_. The door to the bedroom was closed. _Click_. The door to the bedroom was _locked_. For an Akatsuki, Kisame was hardly subtle.

Now, Itachi's focus was on one badly burned pink-haired-kunoichi, who was gazing unabashedly at Itachi's lips. Suddenly, he softened a bit as he was now remembering the kiss in full detail. Clearly, that's what she was doing as well; for when Itachi inclined his head to greet her and break her concentration, Sakura's face turned an even deeper shade of red.

"You don't have to do this," Sakura half-whispered, not looking him in the eye. He squatted in front of her and placed his index finger under her chin, turning her face up to his so obsidian eyes met with jade.

"Turn around," he ordered gently. Sakura blushed again, but did as he told her so her feet were hanging limply in the tub, her arms still securely attached to her front so that what remained of her shirt wouldn't fall.

Itachi noted the damage quietly to himself, and resolutely decided he would punish Deidara handily for this. The entire left portion of her upper back and shoulder were charred, burnt, and sticky. Inwardly cringing, he realized it wasn't too different of a wound than what she had suffered in order to be brought in the first place. Standing up, he walked to the counter in order to get the necessary supplies. He pulled out a wash cloth and a towel, and silently handed the latter to Sakura, who looked up at him confused. "I will most likely have to cut off your shirt," he intoned thoughtfully as he filled the sink with water and poured disinfectant soup into it.

Once again, to his eternal amusement, Sakura was blushing. Possibly one of the strongest kunoichi in the world and not even nineteen, and three minutes with him had turned her into an adolescent female with raging hormones. Male satisfaction coursed unashamedly through him.

Sakura bound the towel tightly to her chest with her arms at Itachi sat down behind her, placing the wash cloth tentatively to her back. "I'll need to clean the wound before I heal it. There are pieces of your shirt burned into your skin." Sakura merely nodded knowingly.

She winced. His touch was soft, yet firm against her as he slowly scraped the wash cloth against her skin. Her skin tightened and ached from the treatment. She was a shinobi and she could handle pain, but holy _hell_ this hurt. Silently, she decided that his proximity wasn't affecting her. No, the fact that she could feel his calloused, tender fingers against her sensitive skin and his light breath against her neck wasn't bothering her at all.

Really, she must be _so_ attractive right now. Burns gorging her entire back, a sheen layer of sweat, dust, and grime settled against her skin, and hair mussed and falling in odd places. _He must be so turned on right now_. She allowed herself a dark, mirthless chuckle.

"This is an odd time to laugh."

Sakura stiffened automatically, not realizing she had laughed out loud. "Sorry, just thinking," she replied lamely, trying to get him to drop the subject.

"About?" he inquired, his breath still tickling the back of her neck as he meticulously picked the shards of fabric from her skin, kunai taking on the pieces that were too melted to be removed by fingers. She audibly gasped as he dug out a particularly deep piece, and he almost felt like apologizing, but he stopped himself from doing so. He was wanted an answer to his question.

Sakura recoiled, but not from the pain. She knew his Sharingan was activated for the task of healing her back, and it could see though lies. Therefore, she decided, there was no point in lying. "You."

"Hm."

First, she waited for him to say something more, but it became quickly apparent that he wasn't going to elaborate. Deciding he was probably taking his time to formulate a perfect, concise response, she just relaxed a little as she heard him place the wash cloth in the sink. Apparently he was done disinfecting the wound and removing the pieces of her shirt.

Without asking if it he was comfortable with the notion, and not really caring even if he wasn't comfortable, she pulled what was left of her bra and shirt from under the town and threw them unceremoniously into the garbage bin between the bathtub and the counter, so she was merely wearing her black shorts, red skirt, and flimsy white towel bound to her chest. Now, nothing separated them but this thin, small, white towel, and Sakura felt her chest, torso, and neck get unflinchingly warm. But this time, it wasn't embarrassment.

An inwardly amused Itachi placed his hands lightly over Sakura's back, and she shivered. Yes, visibly shivered, and the ends of his lips tilted up at his effect on her. Slowly, he melded healing chakra into his hands and pushed it into the wounds, removing the burns and knitting her skin tissues to create new, pink skin. Only a light pink scar remained over the areas he touched. Since he only had very basic medical training, he knew she would probably go over most of this again in order to heal herself completely. Right now he needed to get her well enough to travel, and she had already wasted enough chakra on her spar with Deidara. She still had plenty, but if they ran into any enemies (not that Sakura would really be fighting in any battles they may have anyway, he told himself); she would need her remaining chakra.

Sighing at the feeling of her back being healed, Sakura allowed her posture to relax as a warm feeling enveloped her. The first time Itachi had healed her, she had barely been conscious, but she remembered enjoying the feeling. She reveled in being taken care of for once, instead of taking care of others. Not that she would give up her job as a medic, ever, since her job was satisfying and gratifying in so many ways, but sometimes it was nice to have someone take care of you.

Working his hands up her back and around her neck, Itachi deemed his work acceptable, and pulled his hands from her lightly. She didn't seem to notice as she stayed in her slightly hunched position for a moment longer. Assessing her, he knew her eyes were closed and her breathing was even and deep, but she was not asleep. A trance-like state had overtaken her while he'd been working on her back. Smirking to himself, he lightly traced a finger along her hip and along the side of her ribcage, very close to the sensual curve of her breast, and along her back.

That was enough – she shuddered and whipped herself around to face him – not noticing that she had placed a leg on either side of his, as he had been kneeling for the procedure he had just enacted on her back. Bright red tinted her cheeks and her eyebrows were furrowed in an attempted to be angry, but Itachi could see her body was much to affected for that to be the case. She was adorable, he decided, in the most affectionate way possible.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. Well it was more of a moan, but he knew she meant for it to sound angry.

"Waking you up," he mused, raising an eyebrow at her. "You seemed…distracted."

Sakura's face smoothed, but her face stayed an 'adorable' shade of pink, and Itachi found himself giving into his wishes again – only something that was characteristic for the normally cold and calculating Uchiha when he was around a certain kunoichi. He hooked his hands behind her knees and pulled her down off the edge of the tub, as she let out an 'umph' in shock, so she was straddling his upper thighs.

"Do you want to know a secret?" he whispered into her ear as he leaned his head up. The tremors in her spine were palpable and she sighed as his warm breath tickled her ear. Tentatively, she nodded her head in affirmation, waiting for him to continue. "I've been thinking about you too."

Sakura gasped in surprise at his admission, but more so at the fact that he was now leaving well-placed, experienced butterfly kisses under her ear, and travelling down to jaw. Slowly, tantalizingly and achingly slow, he made his way around her jaw so he placed a final kiss just below her lips. Sakura was stunned into paralysis, her eyes wide yet hazy with want and desire. She groaned when she realized he was denying her lips.

Smirking into the skin of her jaw, he laid his kisses further south so he was now sucking gently on her pulse. Of its own volition, her head moved back to give him further access to her neck. Open mouthed kisses littered down her neck as her hands left their secure hold on the towel – the only think keeping her from being exposed – and wrapped around his neck firmly, arching her body against him. Either to her prowess as a kunoichi or by some form of dumb luck, she suspected the latter; the towel never slipped and would now cover her if she stayed pressed against him. This idea didn't bother her one bit, though. However, her actions did give her ears the gratifying sound of a guttural growl escape from Itachi.

His hand fisted itself in her hair as he pulled her face down to his, and unceremoniously crashed her lips into his with a distinct ferocity. There was no time for her to think, no time for her to deny, no time for her to play hard to get – she couldn't tease him; he would not allow it. His tongue slipped into her mouth the second their lips met in an all dominating kiss of epic proportions.

Although it was passionate and feverish, Sakura could feel the amount of control and determined movements Itachi put into the kiss, and she couldn't say what, but something disappointed her for a moment. Perhaps it was because she wanted to know what Itachi was like without that mask of emotionlessness that he always held in place. Sure, he had shown a few cracks in the surface, but this was merely the exterior of Uchiha Itachi, and her entire being ached to delve deeper into him.

Right now, though, was not the time. Right now, a very precarious right hand of Uchiha Itachi was tracing circled on her hip while the other stayed fisted in her hair, keeping her head in place for this lip-bruising kiss. She mewled into his mouth and arched into him further, wanting to be closer to him as if her rock-solid grip around his neck wasn't enough. Her hands bent as she unfastened his hair tie subconsciously and she ran her hands through his silken raven locks.

Sakura had been kissed before, multiple times, and by four (or five, depending on how you look at it) different men.

Her first kiss had been Naruto when she was fifteen. It was a game of seven-minutes-of-heaven and they had been each other's first. Not to say it was unpleasant in any way, shape, or form, but it was new and exhilarating. After, though, they quickly realized how wrong they were for each other and how they're more like brother and sister than they would ever be lovers.

The second, she didn't count. It was Kabuto, it was forced, and it had been during her time in Orochimaru's lair. She didn't like to think about it.

Third was Neji. Oh, Neji. Rushing into Orochimaru's lair and rescuing her before they had even been in love. She had reprimanded him unashamedly, and insisted she didn't need a rescuer. In turn, he had insisted that she did need him, and he used his knowledge of chakra pathways and the human body to immobilize her legs, so he carried her home from Sound to Konoha (the entire way). That had been the beginning to a very loving, intense, but not-meant-to-be relationship.

He was so romantic and loving and kissed her in the most devoted way possible. Of course, he had been her first…ahem…and he had kissed her with fervor and passion during their interludes. But that was nothing like what was currently happening to her. Now, though, was not the time to be thinking about her former fiancé, as she was mashed against Uchiha Itachi and it would just be disrespectful (as if thinking about all of your former kisses while involved in the most intense make-out sessions of your entire life).

The fourth (or third, if you discount Kabuto) was Idate Morino of all people. Sakura had run into him on her first mission post-Neji and to say that he was her rebound would be an understatement. They had found themselves secluded in a teahouse in the Land of Snow, and had spent most of the time drinking sake and making out. Idate was a good kisser, but their exchanges never took it to the level that her relationship with Neji had, and for that, she was grateful. They had parted ways, agreeing they had to 'do this again sometime' and she hadn't seen him sinse. Not that it had been that long – maybe three or four months since she'd seen him.

Now, number five (four, she reminded herself), had pushed his legs from their kneeling position and twisted them around as he pressed Sakura's newly-healed back to the cold tiled floors of the bathroom. He finally broke their kiss as his hands left her hair to lay affectionately above her head as he hovered over her. He seemed to be going in for another kiss when he suddenly stilled, stiffened, and pulled himself off of her in a swift movement so he was sitting on the edge of the tub now, Sakura lying on the ground, staring at him.

"Kisame," he growled in answer to her silent question, and she let out a small shriek. Clasping her hands around her towel – which had miraculously stayed in place during their entire interlude – she jumped up and stalked into her room in order to dress herself.

"You two decent?" Kisame called, with another audible snicker, into the door. Sakura was pulling over another shirt just as the two unceremoniously barged into her room, hoping to see something they shouldn't.

Tobi was behind them. "You shouldn't spy on Itachi-san and Sakura-san. Sakura-san will be angry and hit you!"

"Thanks for reminding me, Tobi," she hissed as she pushed chakra into her fists, sauntering with a dangerous gleam in her eye towards the two Akatsuki in front of her.

X

The next few days seemed to go by in a blur. If there was time to think about what had happened between her and Itachi, Sakura didn't use it. They were running for the coast, hard and fast, in order to make it to the barge on time. The trip had taken a few days and there had been little-to-no time to rest, eat, or sleep. They just ran, silently. Normally, one would assume that this would be the perfect time to think. However, with the jungles in Lightning Country as dense as they were, any shinobi would have to focus on where they were putting their hands in feet, especially shinobi who were running faster than anyone could even imagine.

This didn't mean that Sakura never got alone time with Itachi. Kisame found it interesting that suddenly she would be the one to offer to go get fish for the group, and Itachi would go 'scout for enemy nin' at the same time, and come back at the same time, looking ruffled and out of breath. Yes, they managed to escape the group for light conversations and brief kisses. Neither of which were good enough to quench the insatiable thirst for each other that seemed to drive both of them to near madness since the morning in the bathroom.

Now, though, they had reached the barge (which could be described more as a wooden version of a cruise ship), and were settling into their rooms nicely. Itachi, Sakura, and Deidara all henged themselves and procured the tickets, and then snuck Kisame and Tobi (who would look different no matter what) into their suite.

Yes, suite. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fully stocked kitchen and living room – it was a suite.

They would be on the boat for about a week, so Itachi and Kisame dispatched themselves to their room in order to unpack. Not ten minutes into placing his items in their drawers, Sakura knocked on the door lightly into the room.

"Itachi, Kisame," she greeted. Itachi nodded his head, and Kisame gave a gruff greeting. At first, Kisame intended to stand up and leave the two alone, but Sakura halted him. "I actually have something I would like to talk with you two about."

"Aa," Itachi replied, inclining his head at the chair on the opposite side of the room. Sakura smiled meekly and sat down, facing both of them.

"I think this would be a good time to heal your heart and lungs, Itachi," she stated firmly.

Itachi was surprised, but hid it well. Kisame didn't. His eyes bulged. "On a cruise ship, kid, of all things?"

"We'll put a chakra seal on the suite so no one can sense it. The surgery will take three to four days, by my calculations, and Itachi will have to be sedated for most of it, if not all of it. There are no other shinobi on the barge, and we are less likely to be ambushed on open water," Sakura replied carefully, keeping her eyes trained on Itachi.

Said Uchiha was thinking very deeply. She hadn't said anything about him being unconscious, and he didn't like the idea at all. However, she seemed to know what he was thinking. "Usually the surgery takes longer, but I'm me and I'm better than 'usually'. It's invasive, medic-nin wise, and sedating you will be the only way to finish the procedure. I need to be able to have your heart beat at an absolute minimum to keep you alive. This way, Kisame, Deidara, and Tobi are all here to take care of me."

"You?" Kisame asked.

Sakura turned her gaze to him thoughtfully. "Yes. During this time I will only sleep for two hour time periods between healing sessions. You'll need to bring me food and whatever supplies I need. To say that I won't be able to function outside of this procedure will be an understatement," Sakura bit her lip as she forced the next words out. "I'll be relying and trusting in you completely."

Sakura was in what she and Ino had dubbed 'medic-mode' and the seriousness of her voice was not to be taken lightly. Kisame nodded and stood up, leaving her and Itachi. "Very well," Itachi said, agreeing to the procedure.

Slowly, Sakura stood and walked over to him where he was sitting on his bed and pulled his head into her shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around him, as if comforting him. Perhaps she had seen something in his eyes. The flash of uncertainty that he had managed to stifle, or the pained expression at thinking of his condition – it had always been his plan to die, and when his plans faltered, it unnerved him. "It's going to be okay. When I'm done…you'll be able to live."

That, he decided, was perhaps what worried him the most.

X

The next four days, to Sakura, were all one long blur. Itachi had left the room to 'shower one last time' and had come back to a bit of a surprise. Sakura had rearranged the room to look like a hospital room. Two end-tables had been pushed together and now sat between two beds that were only a few inches apart. She explained that after each session, she would be so exhausted that she wouldn't be able to walk, so it was best to have the beds close.

It unnerved Itachi at how she kept talking about how exhausted she would be, but he never questioned her. This was no longer the ill-tempered, sweet, hostile, adorable Sakura he had grown to know over the past three months. This was medic-Sakura and he knew better than to question her or doubt her. She had healed his eyes back to perfection, after all.

Sakura took a nap, and when she awoke, announced it was time for the procedure to begin. As he eased himself into the bed, Itachi received one last kiss from Sakura – not missing a snickering, hiding, Kisame behind them – and was quickly unconscious.

Sakura, on the other hand, was confident in her abilities. She could and would heal him. Tirelessly, she worked her heart, hands, and body out. Stitching muscle, reforming tissue, and removing infection – it took its toll.

Time had no meaning. She worked until her body couldn't anymore, and then she worked a little more. When her muscles and chakra simply refused to budge, she would push a little harder, and then she'd collapse on her bed in a heap and sleep. Like clockwork, one hour and forty-five minutes later, she would wake up from her deep slumber as if an alarm sounded in her head, telling her that her chakra stores had been replenished enough to continue. Deidara, Tobi, but mostly Kisame, would bring her a plate of food. She would wolf it down and then continue.

It had taken longer than she had thought – four and a half days, but it was done, and it was done well. All of his previous ailments had cleared his lungs and she had fixed the damaged muscle in his heart. He would live. Well, he wouldn't die because of his heart condition, anyway. Sakura subconsciously knew she couldn't stop him from dying other ways, but she knew she had stopped this.

For the first time in four days, she pulled herself from the bed and stomped to the bathroom in order to shower. She had left the bed once or twice a day to use the facilities and brush her teeth, but never more than that. Now, though, she needed a shower. Four days of sweat and grease had compiled over her entire body and all she wanted to do was clean herself and sleep.

The shower was quick and she unceremoniously dumped shampoo into her hair. As it rinsed, she soaped herself up and then conditioned. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. Brushing her teeth for good measure, she climbed back into her bed, staring at the peaceful face of Itachi Uchiha. As she drifted, she knew it was worth it.

Waking up from being comatose for five days was not pleasant. The first thing he realized was that his body was stiff and sore. Then, he sniffed a bit and realized that the pungent odor in the room was _him_ after not showering for five days. It was dark, he noted, and everyone would probably be asleep. The sounds of even, deep breathing caught his attention, and he turned to a very gaunt looking kunoichi, who had lost consciousness the second her head hit the pillow. He knew this because her covers weren't drawn and her legs were still dangling a bit off the bed.

As he tested his muscles, he knew the only way to rid the stiffness would be to move and to take a warm shower. Pulling himself up, ignoring his protesting body, he took his first deep breath in…his first deep breath…in years. It had been so long since a deep breath wouldn't leave his body shaking with rasping breaths. His two fingers went to his wrist instantly, and he felt his heartbeat. It was still slow from the sedative, but it was even. His heartbeat didn't jump in the way it used to. That's when he realized it.

The surgery had worked. A sudden feeling of elation filled him, quickly to be replaced with uncertainty. Where did this leave all of his plans? First, his eyes were healed to perfection, and now his heart is intact. He was given every chance to _live_ now, and wouldn't he be foolish if he didn't take it; just as foolish as his little brother had been when he ran to Orochimaru for power, leaving all those who loved him behind.

Putting his internal thoughts to a halt, he stood slowly as not to overexert. First order of business – get Sakura into bed. He picked up the slumbering kunoichi lightly – slightly surprised that his stench didn't wake her – and tucked her into the bed. He noted her damp hair, and realized the surgery must have only been completed a few hours ago if she showered right after. She must be exhausted. Next, he made his way silently to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, taking his own quick shower, and pulling on a pair of ninja pants.

He was warm, and chose to forego a shirt. As he entered the room, the thought of lying in the bed where he had previously been comatose irked him. Exhaustion had hit him suddenly, and he surmised that it was possible he wasn't supposed to be awake yet.

He supposed he could go use the spare bed that was in Sakura's…Kisame's room…but he didn't want Sakura to wake and he not be present. Surely, she would lose her temper if he did such a thing from worry – not that she'd ever admit she was worried. Most likely, she would cross her arms at the thought and say 'I have faith in my abilities. I knew you were fine'. Therefore, he concluded, there was only one option.

Slipping into bed next to Sakura, he pulled the blankets around them and placed his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him, and fell into one of the most satisfying slumbers of his life.

Waking up next to her, several hours later, was equally as pleasant. First, he felt her eyelashes skitter across his chest, and this roused him. Her squeak of shock came next as she realized whose arms she was in. Then, as if his male-satisfaction wasn't already at its peak, she nuzzled into him and gripped his back, pulling them together.

"Morning," he whispered into her ear.

She yelped in shock and pulled back to look at him. "You're awake?"

"No," he replied. He was being sarcastic, despite the impassive tone, and she knew it.

"Jerk," she whispered. "How're you feeling?"

Itachi sucked in a deep breath and blew it on her ear. She giggled and turned towards him to block the invading air. "Amazing," he replied genuinely.

Sakura blushed at the sincerity of his tone, but she didn't have time to think about it because now…oh Gods he was kissing her again. And he was doing it in _that_ way that made her mind melt and haze. Then he was on top of her, pinning her arms above her head and trailing open mouthed kisses down her throat, and she moaned lightly…she couldn't help it…though the smirk from him that she felt under her neck was enough to make her want to stop.

"You're not…" she panted and moaned again as he nipped the flesh of her collar bone, "…supposed to overexert yourself…"

"I've been in bed for five days. I've been without you for five days," he mumbled into her neck as he sucked, bit, and then licked to sooth her creamy skin there. "I need to make it up sometime."

"Itachi…"she breathed out, but the medic in her head was screaming that this wasn't right. Then, something else was screaming in her head.

From behind her mental barrier.

It had started as a hum, but now it was getting louder. She didn't recognize the sensation, but she knew what it meant. "Stop," she commanded and blessed herself when it was forceful. He pulled back to stare at her. Just to be safe, she asked, "You're not trying to break my mental barrier right now, are you?"

He shook his head, furrowing his brows slightly. Sakura jerked from underneath him suddenly and was running around the room frantically.

"What's so important that she needs to do _this_ to talk to me?" Sakura asked to herself. She was healing the love marks that covered her neck now, to Itachi's annoyance, and was cleaning up the room the best she could.

"Sakura," Itachi intoned.

Sakura merely turned to him, her face pale, and the lines under her eyes outlining her exhaustion. "Oh, god, Itachi put on a shirt, dammit!" she cried as she threw a clean shirt in his direction. Her sudden change in persona shocked him, so he stared at her through Sharingan eyes, but he saw to presence of inner-Sakura there. Could there be some other personality down there? He acquiesced, though, and pulled the black shirt over his head.

It was just in time, too, because suddenly Sakura's body went rigid and she focused on a spot on the center of the room. First, there was merely a wisp of wind, and then a large ball of green light appeared in the middle of the room.

It looked like the astro-projections they used in the Akatsuki. However, this was quickly forming into something much more human. He could discern blonde hair, long, a curved female figure, a stubborn look, and a word that said something slightly comical stitched to the back of her green overcoat. That's when he realized he was now in the presence of the Fifth Hokage.

Sakura bowed, "Tsunade-sama."

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AN: In return for your wonderful patience, I gave you much ItachiXSakura action. Please review.

I love reviews.

They make my world go round :)


	14. Doubts are Traitors

AN: Hello there! I hope you like this chapter. I found it very difficult to write. It's a little of a transition chapter, but a lot happens.

Enjoy and review!

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**Nothing but the Truth **

**Chapter 14: Doubts are Traitors**

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_"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt."_

_ - William Shakespeare, Hamlet_

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"Tsunade-sama," Sakura mumbled as the hokage materialized in the bedroom of their suite. Her shishou had very bad timing as Sakura was still trying to calm her body down from the exchange she had just had with Itachi. If Sakura wasn't so in tune with her body, there was a very good possibility that Tsunade would have materialized at a very, _very_ bad time. Sakura hardly thought that being caught making out with Uchiha Itachi by her shishou of all people would make for a pleasant conversation.

Itachi tensed. The fifth hokage was standing in the middle of their room and she found them by using Sakura. Could she have found them this entire time? Have she and Sakura been communicating on a regular basis? Has the kunoichi been leaking information about the Akatsuki since her arrival three months prior? Sakura had always seemed to be honest with him and the others, but she was loyal to Konoha first, so he couldn't blame her if she was reporting her observations back to her home. However, Sakura had seemed just as surprised as he was, so he wasn't sure what to make of the situation just yet. He was aware that the hokage was staring in a blatantly angry way at _him_, but he tried to ignore the feeling of honey-colored eyes boring into his face.

Tsunade was staring, with a disapproving curve to her face, at the sleep-ruffled looking at Itachi, hands crossed over her chest when she spoke. "Sakura," she stated evenly, turning to give her student a brief look. The stern look that crossed her face when she observed her student and the manner in which the room was set up was both blatant and obvious. "Why do you look like you've been doing a multi-day surgery? You're thin, pale, and you look as if you haven't slept in days."

Sakura stood erect, but her face blanched into a guilty look immediately. "About that…" she replied faintly.

"Sakura," Tsunade replied in a very harsh, reprimanding tone. "You'd make yourself that vulnerable _here_?" Her arms waved around, gesturing to the room, to Itachi, in exasperation. Itachi couldn't help but note that Sakura did the exact same thing when she was annoyed, and he decided that she probably took after her teacher in more than just medical talent and strength.

Sakura's eyes cast to the floor in answer, and her teacher huffed. "I was healing a chronic, fatal ailment of Uchiha Itachi."

Tsunade's gaze turned thoughtful for a moment, her attention now completely on Sakura. As she spoke, her voice was softer, yet just as firm, "Sakura, healing his eyes in exchange for the life of Kakashi is one thing. I understand that. But saving his life now? You are aiding an enemy of Konoha, and you know that they'll charge you with treason if they ever find out."

Itachi contemplated her words carefully, listening for any signs that Sakura had been reporting back to Konoha. If she hadn't, it meant that Itachi could keep her safe. But if any other member of the Akatsuki found out she had been spilling secrets, they would kill her on sight. Deidara and Kisame wouldn't want to do it, but they would be forced to if they found out and Itachi knew that.

Sakura bit her lip, but turned to face the hokage. "I'm aware of the consequences of my actions."

"Sakura," Tsunade's voice spoke, full of uncertainty. "You would never betray Konoha."

Sakura nodded her head. "I would never betray Konoha," she repeated.

"If I gave the order, right now, what would you do?"

Itachi was confused at the ambiguity of the question, but Sakura seemed to know exactly what Tsunade was talking about. Sakura didn't pause, didn't skip a beat, "I would kill him. Or at least I would try."

Something twisted within Itachi's chest when she said that, but he knew that she had to say it. If he were in her position, he would answer the same way, and like Sakura, he would be telling the truth. It's not something that's easy to think about or easy to do, but that is the life of the shinobi. Death, killing, murder – it's just part of the job, and sometimes you had to kill those you love.

Tsunade nodded her head, seemingly pleased by the answer, and then said, "I've never questioned your loyalty, and as I said before, you would never betray Konoha by aiding an enemy." Tsunade didn't allow Sakura to reply. She continued, "Therefore, I must come to the conclusion that you do not believe that Uchiha Itachi is not an enemy of Konoha. And I trust your judgment completely."

Sakura's eyes widened and Itachi's head shot up so he was facing the hokage fully. "He's not," Sakura replied sternly, her eyes filling with vigor.

Tsunade arched a brow. "What makes you say that?"

Sakura was about to speak and tell Tsunade what she found out when Itachi's voice filled the air, laced with warning. "Sakura," he bit out. Both Sakura and Tsunade turned to face him. He was now standing next to the bed, and he bowed lightly at the hokage. "It is an honor to meet you, Hokage-sama. I'm sorry for interrupting, but there are some questions that are better left unanswered and some truths that are better left in the dark."

"Itachi!" Sakura huffed in exasperation.

Before Itachi could reply, Tsunade said, "You don't seem like a mass murdering psychopath. In fact, the events of that evening have confused many shinobi. From what I've heard from others, no one would have ever suspected you to do this. You said you did it for power, but everyone claims that power was never something that was important to you like it was for the rest of the Uchiha clan. Most shinobi believe that there was something larger at play that night."

Itachi clenched his teeth. "My comrades knew me well," he replied smoothly. "But as I said, some truths are better left secret."

"I understand. That's why I've entrusted Sakura to your care for so long. I trust her judgment of character, and you seem to have gained her favor. Anyway, bringing her back is not why I'm here."

"Yes, shishou, why are you here? And who is acting as your chakra enhancers?" Sakura asked, now riveted with the jutsu her and Tsunade had created.

Tsunade grinned. "Naruto and Kakashi, of course."

Itachi didn't miss Sakura's face beaming at her shishou at the mention of her teammates. "Naruto does have more chakra than anyone else, doesn't he?" Tsunade nodded. "So they can hear us?" Tsunade nodded once again. Sakura's eyes welled with tears, her heart clenching. It was so easy to fall into a pattern and not think of her friends back home because it hurt too much, but knowing that they were sitting behind Tsunade, channeling their chakra so the hokage could visit Sakura, made her miss them so much. "I miss you guys so much."

"Chakra enhancers?" Itachi echoed, completely confused. How the hokage had ended up standing in the middle of their suite room on a barge was a mystery to him, but now he was curious. This seemed to be some powerful jutsu if the person required other shinobi's chakra.

Sakura turned to look at Itachi, her face lighting a bit at his confusion. She doubted Tsunade could tell, but Itachi had one eyebrow drawn in slightly and he was looking at the floor. Sakura knew it meant he was confused and trying to work through what was going on. "It's a jutsu, Itachi," Sakura explained. "We use another shinobi's chakra to project-"

"You can explain later. Don't break Naruto's and Kakashi's concentration, Sakura. Naruto is already distracted enough," Tsunade laughed. "Anyway, my time here is limited and there are things we must discuss."

"Right," Sakura replied and faced her teacher dutifully.

"It's about Sasuke." Sakura bit her lip, and she turned to Itachi once again. He was now staring warily at the hokage. Tsunade gave Itachi a pointed look.

"You can say anything in front of him about Sasuke. I'll tell him after this anyway, so you might as well just let him stay. Plus, he's recovering," Sakura said before Tsunade could banish the Uchiha. Tsunade looked at her, disgruntled. Sakura continued, "He cares for his brother."

Tsunade visibly scoffed, but didn't retort to the seemingly preposterous comment. "Anyway," she began, "As we know, Sasuke killed Orochimaru two years ago, but unfortunately it didn't seem to end him like it was supposed to. After he arrived back in Konoha, we sent him through a battery of tests and have determined that Sasuke absorbed Orochimaru's powers. Once again, we knew this. However, a piece of Orochimaru is still within Sasuke that is able to influence him. He should have been able to absorb Orochimaru's powers without the side effects of having a piece of what we believe to be Orochimaru's life force within him. But it's there, and we need to find a way to remove it. The council already wants him executed for his crimes against Konoha, and I've been deferring his trial as long as I can. If we can't find a way to remove the piece of Orochimaru's soul, then they will have every reason to execute him. Getting Orochimaru out of Sasuke is the only way he has a chance to live."

Sakura gulped as she digested all of the information. That was just too much to digest in one sitting, and she didn't even want to turn to face Itachi. Outwardly he would be calm and collected, but Sakura knew that he was probably panicking right now. So, Orochimaru had managed to implant a bit of his life force into Sasuke when Sasuke killed him and absorbed his powers. That would mean that the sannin was still attempting to take Sasuke as his vessel and was one step closer. Resolutely, Sakura eyed her teacher once again, "What can I do to help?"

"I'm glad you asked. I've tried everything I could think of, Sakura, but I'm too old and set in my ways. You've created jutsu that I could have never even fathomed, and your creativity in these matters is unrivaled" Tsunade praised. Sakura's face turned the color of her hair from embarrassment. "I need you to figure out a way to remove Orochimaru from Sasuke completely."

"You need me to come home," Sakura inferred, trying to keep her voice from cracking. Not that she'd ever admit it to anyone from Konoha, but she'd become incredibly attached to the Akatsuki. Both Kisame and Deidara were fun, caring (although they'd kill you if you ever called them that), and were incredibly good sparring partners. Since arriving, Sakura knew that her skills had increased ten-fold from her training with the Akatsuki members. Then there was Itachi.

Everything that was happening with him was destined to be temporary, and Sakura was no fool. She knew that whatever was going on with them – even though they had only kissed a few times – would never last. However, she couldn't help but realize this was the first time she'd felt anything for someone since Neji. After their breakup, Sakura was certain she would never love anyone again. Neji had been the person who really picked up the pieces after Sasuke left. Sure, Sakura found comfort in her team. Naruto and Sai were like surrogate brothers, and Kakashi was more of a father to her than her own dad, but it was Neji who taught her how to love again. He was also the first person, since Sasuke, to break her heart.

That was unbearable. Dumping herself into her work, she had taken on more missions and logged more hours at the hospital and on the training grounds after her split with the Hyuuga. It was as if she was suffocating from a weight that had landed on her chest, and she didn't know whether she wanted to cry or run from Konoha forever. Truthfully, she did both. Her missions took her far from home and she spent her nights alone and sobbing. It seemed like the pain would never end. Eventually, the pain subsided, but the feeling of loneliness never left. That brought her back to Itachi – his subtly caring nature, intelligence, devotion, loyalty, and intense gaze sent her stomach into knots and made her knees weak. Sakura knew she'd by lying to herself if she said she didn't have feelings for him. Mostly, the constant, hollow feeling of pure loneliness was gone when she was with him, and it scared her.

Tsunade was giving her a moment to think, but soon pulled Sakura out of her internal thoughts. "I need you to figure out a way to remove Orochimaru's soul from Sasuke without killing him, yes. In order to do that you'd probably have to see the patient."

"I need to do research," Sakura muttered, almost to herself, "before I could even fathom putting anything to practice."

"Very well," Tsunade replied. "What do you need?"

"Information on Orochimaru," Sakura replied. She cringed. "That means I'll have to find _him_."

Tsunade sighed. "Leave _him _to me. You worry about the rest. I'm deferring the team that's tracking you to find him."

"Understood," Sakura replied warily. She didn't like thinking of _him_.

"If I may interject," Itachi said suddenly. Sakura jerked her head to look at him. His usually intense eyes were glossed over as if he was deep in thought. "Orochimaru was in the Akatsuki, and we naturally have copious amounts of records on him as well as a good amount of his original research. Orochimaru is as big of a threat to the Akatsuki as he is to Konoha, and our Leader has wanted him dead for years. I'm sure he could be persuaded to grant Sakura access to our data if it meant ending Orochimaru once and for all."

Tsunade furrowed her brow. She stated, with a rushed and annoyed tone, "That's fine, but it means Sakura will be staying with you longer. How can you assure her safety? Surely this leader of yours is not willing to have some Konoha shinobi snooping around your records. Additionally, the council is growing angry with Sakura's absence. They suspect she's defected since she hasn't returned home yet and convincing them otherwise is getting more difficult."

"_What_?" Itachi hissed before Sakura could even comprehend what her shishou had said. Itachi was losing his temper, and Itachi Uchiha _never_ lost his temper. Except when it came to Sakura, he realized suddenly. The only other time he could remember losing his temper recently was when she had been captured by another group of rogue ninja and the thought of her being killed was imminent. Then there was the incident just a few days ago with Deidara. His fury at the other Akatsuki was brief, but it was there. Now, though, it was Konoha's own council members, the ones Sakura swore to protect, who were threatening her.

Sakura was taken aback by his tone completely. To hear him so utterly infuriated (although it was quieter than most) shocked her. "Danzou Shimura is still the head of the council, yes?" Itachi asked harshly. Tsunade nodded, equally surprised by the Uchiha's outburst. "Then you tell him I said this: 'Remember our deal, Danzou, and it now applies to Sakura as well.' He'll know what you're talking about, and it'll keep the council off of your backs for a little while at least," Itachi took a deep breath, now trying to control his annoyance at the damned council. "And when it comes to my Leader, he will allow Sakura to do her research. I may have to lie for him to accept, but he will accept. You should keep you Konoha shinobi away from the Akatsuki for the time being, though, so he doesn't grow suspicious. If Sakura needs an extraction team, we will send for one."

"Ordering me around now, Uchiha?" Tsunade said with a quirked brow. To a stranger, she sounded annoyed, but Sakura could discern the amusement in her shishou's voice.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama," he replied evenly.

This time, Tsunade laughed. "Don't worry about it Uchiha-"

The hokage's words were cut off by a banging at the door. "Hey, Itachi, Sakura, are you two alright in there? I felt a spike of chakra earlier," Kisame yelled through the door. "And I sense three people in there? What's going on?"

"Just go in there, yeah!" Deidara yelled from beyond the door. "What if it's those damn Leaf-nin coming to take Sakura away?!"

"I'm not just going to barge in!" Kisame howled back. Then, he continued, insinuation laced in his words, "What if they're-"

"WHAT?" Sakura hollered, stopping Kisame from finishing the sentence. "What do you think we're really doing in here Kisame, you pervert?!"

"That's it, we're going in!" _Bang_. The door opened into the room with Deidara and Kisame spilling into it unceremoniously. Their eyes widened at the sight of the hokage standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed over her chest, an amused smirk on her face. Instantly, Kisame's hand went to his sword while Deidara pulled clay into his hands from the pouch.

Tsunade let out a bark of laughter. "Like you could if you wanted to, boys," she said with a hint of challenge.

Kisame grunted and straightened himself, his hand dropping from his sword. "What is she doing in the middle of the room?! She's the hokage for Kami's sake!"

"She's a projection, Kisame," Sakura explained. To further her point, she trudged to her shishou and waved her hand through Tsunade's stomach. The area cleared for a moment, only to reform when Sakura's hand finished its movement. "It's like the astro-projections you guys use to communicate, but by using other ninja's chakra to fuel the projection, Tsunade-shishou can use jutsu if she wanted to. It's like a mix between astro-projection and that shape-shifting technique that Kisame and Itachi can use."

"How do you know about our astro-projections, yeah?" Deidara asked with a fretting tone to his voice that signaled his panic. If Sakura knew that much about the Akatsuki that she was willing to reveal, what did she know that she was keeping from them? Plus, the hokage was here. What was she doing here? This could mean big trouble for all of them.

Sakura shrugged noncommittally, "Research."

Deidara snorted, seemingly forgetting his earlier panic. "You're such a nerd, yeah," he teased.

"What'd you say, asshole?" Sakura hissed, waving her fist at Deidara. Then, Sakura looked around, realizing that somebody was missing from this little get together. "Where's Tobi?"

"He had to duck out early. Leader gave him a mission, yeah. Not that I can tell you what it was with _you-know-who_ here," Deidara replied, giving a pointed look towards Tsunade. "Speaking of which, why is she here?"

"She's come to give Sakura a mission," Itachi answered.

"To do what?" Kisame asked gruffly. He wasn't too fond of the current situation at all. It wasn't looking good for Sakura or Itachi – the leader of the Leaf village was standing in the middle of their suite! This meant the kunoichi could have been supplying information to Konoha this entire time. If she had been, they would have to kill her. Kisame didn't really care about the Akatsuki or their goals, but he was not about to defy Pein's orders and get himself killed over the kunoichi.

"To kill Orochimaru," Itachi supplied. Kisame's eyebrows shot up so they almost reached his spikey hair. Deidara gaped at the statement, the color leaving his face. Sakura blushed a bit at their reaction.

"Didn't your brother already do that, Itachi?" Kisame asked after a moment or two.

"Apparently not," Itachi replied. "I'm going to let Sakura see Orochimaru's research that we keep at the base in order to destroy him for good."

"What makes you think that she can do it, yeah?" Deidara asked haughtily.

"What'd you say?" Sakura bit out through clenched teeth. Her temper was rising quickly in frustration at this entire situation.

"She is more than capable," Tsunade replied. "Anyway, my time with you _wonderful_ people is almost up. Is there anything you require, Sakura?"

Sakura thought for a moment. "I'll need to see Sasuke at some point, and I require my research that I've already done on Orochimaru. Ino and Shizune know where to find it, and if they don't, then Neji will."

Tsunade nodded. She looked at Sakura with soft eyes, brimming with pride for her apprentice and surrogate-daughter. "I'll have someone meet you at your docking point with your research," she said. "I have to go now. Stay safe. And I'm so proud of you Sakura. I can tell you've gotten stronger."

Sakura blushed, pride welling within her from her shishou's words. Also, there was pain. So much pain and longing to go home and be with her family, her friends. She could sense Kakashi and Naruto behind Tsunade, channeling into the projection, so that she could see her teacher. "I love you all," Sakura said, silently cursing herself when her voice faltered.

With one last sad smile, Tsunade was gone in a blinding green light.

Sakura tried her best not to cry, just excused herself in a frantic hurry to go wash up and get ready for the day, all while practically sprinting out of the room. Once she was out of the bedroom, leaving three bewildered men behind, she rushed to the bathroom and shut the door just before the first tears spilled from her eyes.

It was all so painful, too painful to handle. All this time, she worked like a machine. The feelings of longing to go home were pushed back behind her mental barrier as she compartmentalized and focused on her goal, her work. After seeing her shishou, after feeling Naruto and Kakashi – the two who she cared for most in this world – it was all too much. She wanted to go home. The tears spilled from her eyes as her hands covered her mouth to silence her sobs. There was a deep ache in the pit of her stomach that ran to her heart and settled in her throat, making the agony all the worse. It was like she had swallowed a rock that was slowly, painfully sliding down her throat and into her heart. It made her stomach sink and her knees quiver underneath her.

She ended up in the fetal position without her realizing it, her forehead touching the cool tiled floors as another silent cry formed on her lips. Through her blurry vision, she could see the tears pooling on the floor. She had been so strong up to this point; she was cursing herself for losing it now.

This entire time she had been working so hard to keep her calm, and she reacted to the pressure like she always had in the past – ignore the pain and focus on the work. She had a task to complete, a goal in mind. Her motives were simple – protect her loved ones. Protect Kakashi. Protect Naruto. When that task, healing Itachi's eyes, was complete, she found a new one. Now, though, she was successful in both of her tasks. Once again, there was another task to complete. It was constant. When would this end? When could she go home? Now, she had to protect Sasuke. As much as she hated him, resented him, she still loved him. He was still her former comrade, her former friend. Although he may have seen her as a nuisance, she still cared for him deeply.

Resolutely, she shoved her arms underneath her and lifted herself up so she was sitting on the floor. She wiped the tears from her eyes and then went to clean the pool of salty water she'd left on the floor. That's all tears were: salty water. Yes, she could to this.

X

The next day, the group docked in Whirlpool Country. It was a small island just off the coast of Fire Country, and to Sakura's infinite delight, the weather here was much more pleasant than Lightning Country. Although it was late fall and still cold, there was no constant rain and thunderstorms. There was a forest, but it wasn't a jungle so maneuvering for Sakura would be much easier and more familiar.

After her mini-meltdown in the bathroom, she felt a little better. At least, she was able to push the longing to go home back behind her mental barrier in order to complete her new task. She had examined Itachi's heart and lungs, and was pleased to inform him that his ailment was completely gone. Now, she would focus on creating the eye drops for his eyes that would keep them from getting as bad as they were. Additionally, she would be researching Orochimaru in order to help Sasuke.

As they stepped off of the boat into the small port down, Sakura took in a deep breath of fresh air. It smelled like home. Tobi was still absent, apparently having returned to Rain Country to be with Pein and Konan (whoever she was). Sakura walked with her three companions out of the town and onto a dirt path that led to the center of the island, apparently where their base was located.

"You want to spar with me when we get there, Kisame? There's a jutsu I learned that I wanted to try on you!" Sakura asked as the group walked.

"You sure you can handle that, kid?" Kisame joked.

"Tch of course I can," Sakura rebuked, crossing her arms indignantly over her chest.

"What kind of jutsu it is, yeah?" Deidara asked. "Is that what you've been working on for two hours every morning?"

"It's a secret, and I've been working on a lot of things," Sakura replied. For some reason, she was in the front of the group, Kisame and Deidara flanking her sides, with Itachi walking at a relaxed pace behind them. "I think this one will even take Itachi off guard!"

"You think so?" Kisame asked.

"Hm?" Itachi inquired.

"Yup I-" Sakura trailed off for a moment and stopped, causing everyone else to stop with her, confusion written on their faces (except for Itachi whose face remained stoic, of course). Suddenly, her back bent backwards as a senbon whistled past her through the trees and across the path in a sideways motion. It imbedded itself in a tree opposite of where it came from. Itachi saw her eyes light up mischievously as she righted herself. "You're going to have to do better than that!" she yelled into the forest.

As if on cue, a loud roar was heard from the trees, and black and white tiger leapt onto the path. Itachi saw Deidara reach for his clay and Kisame reach for Samehada in an instant. "No," Itachi commanded. "This is not a fight; it's a greeting."

Deidara turned around to face him incredulously. "A greeting, yeah?"

Itachi merely inclined his head toward the small battle that was unfolding in front of them. Sakura had just punched the inked tiger into oblivion and threw several kunai into the trees. A smooth, taunting voice came from the trees.

"Your aim is as bad as ever, Ugly."

Sakura grit her teeth and lunged into the forest, disappearing from sight. She reemerged only moments later as she threw the man she was fighting to the ground. She ended up on the dirt path, straddling Sai's waist, about twenty feet in front of the three Akatsuki. Itachi raised an eyebrow in surprise. She was able to subdue the boy that quickly? He looked to be about her age with incredibly pale skin and black hair. The tanto on his waist and outfit told Itachi he was a member, or a former member, of ANBU Root.

"And your hand-to-hand combat is still average at best, Asshole," she countered playfully. "And I win this round, which means lunch is on you next time."

"Tch, now, now, Sweetheart, you know better than to leave your back wide open," a voice said from behind Sakura. She felt the cool sensation of the kunai that was now precariously close to her neck from the assaulting person. Sai merely smiled blankly at Sakura from his place on the ground. Sakura, on the other hand, beamed from the sound of a certain person's voice.

"Genma," she almost squealed.

His voice was soft, "Hey there, Sweetheart."

"The answer is yes, I do know better than that," Sakura said smugly. Genma felt the hand on the back of his neck, and he didn't need to turn around to know what it was.

"A shadow clone?" he asked.

"One move and I knock you unconscious," Sakura supplied, still sitting on top of Sai. She quickly pulled herself up, though, and launched herself at Genma as the shadow clone disappeared in a puff of smoke. Her arms went around his neck and she buried her face into his chest. His arms automatically wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her into a hug that caused her feet to leave the ground. She laughed as Genma swung her around in circles. "I missed you," she murmured into his chest.

"Looks like you have some competition, yeah," Deidara quipped, pointing towards the embracing Leaf-nins.

"Silence," Itachi ordered, observing the duo. The thought was absurd. If he remembered correctly, Shiranui was at least fifteen years Sakura's senior, if not more. That would just be ridiculous. But that didn't stop the annoying clenching of his chest that he only recognized as a slight twinge of jealousy from rising inside him.

"You should go claim your-" Deidara's words stopped when Itachi sent a Sharingan-filled glare towards the offending Akatsuki member. "Geez. I'll shut up. No need to look at me like you want to rip out my intestines."

"Looks like she got you two good," a voice said from the trees, causing everyone to stare up into a particularly large tree. A silver-haired jounin said there, orange book in hand, looking incredibly relaxed. If Sakura's eyes could glow any brighter, everyone would need sunglasses in her presence.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried.

The copy-nin jumped from his perch, only to be tackled by Sakura. "Yo!" he said from under her embrace. "I'm not your sensei anymore Sakura. You've gotten even stronger, I see."

"Is anybody else getting uncomfortable with all these Leaf-nin around, yeah?" Deidara asked tentatively.

Kisame scoffed. "It's not anything Samehada can't handle."

"You want to bet, Shark-face?" Genma asked. Sai had now stood, and the four Leaf-nins stared at the Akatsuki. The air suddenly thickened with tension as the groups stood facing off with one another. Sakura could barely take it. The last thing everyone needed was a good throw-down in the middle of a civilian country.

"Genma, don't start fights!" Sakura cried as her fist came in contact with his shoulder.

"Ow, that was cruel Sweetheart."

"Tch, do you have my research, or what?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, yeah, we have it Sweetheart. How are you doing, anyway? All these men being nice to my little princess?" Genma teased, but there was no mistaking the warning tone in his voice that said 'I'll kill them if they aren't.'

Sakura's hands landed on her hips as she scowled in frustration. "Who're you calling princess?!" she yelled.

"According to one of my books, it is called a nick-name. This is why I call you Ugly," Sai iterated.

Sakura simply shot him a death glare. Truthfully, though, she couldn't hide her happiness at seeing her friends. Sai was like a brother to her now, just as much as Naruto was. He and Genma had been integral in helping her cope with her breakup from Neji. Once Sakura decided to try for the ANBU exams, she had spent hours on end training with the weapons expert and Sai since long-range battles were still difficult for her. Genma, in essence, become another 'Kakashi' for her, and she now looked at him like a father.

"Anyway," Sakura huffed, "They're treating me just fine."

"I suppose we couldn't convince you to come back with us?" Kakashi asked, his eyes saddening a bit.

Sakura bit her lip nervously as her heart lurched. Oh how she wanted to agree with him and let him take her back. She wanted to see Naruto, Ino, and her other friends. She wanted everything to go back to normal. But no, she needed the research the Akatsuki had. So she slowly shook her head, "I'm doing this for Sasuke."

"Tch," Genma huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't know why you even care about that little piece of…"

"Sh!" Sakura hissed, giving a pointed look towards Itachi. "You don't have to go insulting his brother right in front of his face, you baka!"

"Oi," Genma replied. He turned towards the Akatsuki with a lighthearted smile, as if he'd just seen them there for the first time, "Hello there Itachi-san. Long time no see!"

"Shiranui," Itachi replied coolly.

"Still as collected as ever, I see," Kakashi murmured darkly under his mask. He'd taken a step forward so he was standing between the Akatsuki and Sakura. Once again, a palpable tension filled the air. This entire time, Sai had merely been staring at the Akatsuki, waiting for them to move. Kakashi's actions hadn't helped the situation at all as the three missing-nins regarded him with a thick intensity. Even they weren't foolish enough to underestimate the famous copy-nin.

Realizing what he'd subconsciously done, Kakashi scratched the back of his head, his eye crinkling in a sheepish smile, and turned towards Sakura. "I think we should say our goodbyes. Our mission was to deliver you the research and make sure you weren't under any sort of genjutsu. I can tell you're not, and here," he held out a scroll to her which she took quickly, shoving it in her backpack, "All of your research is sealed in there. Make sure they don't see it."

"I understand," Sakura said quietly. The constricting feeling within her chest warned her of the tears that were bound to escape, so she closed the distance between her and Kakashi. Burying her face into his chest while clamping her arms around his midsection, she murmured, "I'll be home soon."

He hugged her back. "I hope so. We all miss you," he whispered.

"I miss you all so much," she whimpered into his vest, holding back the tears.

"Where's my love?" Genma asked with a teasing tone from somewhere behind them. Sakura pulled back from Kakashi slowly, and turned towards Genma. She hugged him with desperation equal to the hug she had just given Kakashi, not bothering to wipe away the small amount of tears that were flowing down her cheeks. "Now, now, Sweetheart, a girl like you shouldn't be crying so much. You're much to pretty."

"Tch," was her muffled reply. "You always say that."

He pulled her back, wiping her tears away with his gloved hands. Grabbing her shoulders lightly, he replied with a soothing, soft voice, "And I mean it every time. I'm supposed to tell you this: I am the guard stationed outside Sasuke Uchiha's cell every Tuesday and Thursday starting tonight. D7."

Sakura nodded, comprehending what he meant immediately. "I understand."

"Good, now get going so you can come home soon," Genma replied.

After a few more tear-filled hugs, the group of Leaf shinobi departed, and Sakura went back to the Akatsuki. Deidara and Kisame took their turns making cracks at the 'too emotional' Leaf shinobi, but Sakura ignored them for the most part. Slowly, they made their way to the center of the island towards the Akatsuki base.

X

They arrived at the base only two hours later. Dusk was barely upon them as Sakura studied her surroundings. This base was much smaller than the other ones. There was no library – only a few bookshelves in the small living room. It consisted of a couch, the bookshelves, and a rickety television set that was no longer functional. There were four small bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen with a small table in the center. The training grounds were outdoors, to Sakura's delight. It meant she could put more into her training sessions, and she wouldn't have to hold back as much. The house wasn't perfect, but it would suffice.

Itachi showed Sakura the records room in the basement, gathering the scrolls that related to Orochimaru. Sakura brought them back to her room and began steeling herself for what she would have to do next. She pulled out a fresh change of clothes as she munched on an apple. Hopefully, she would be back by dawn.

A light knocking on the door stopped her from continuing to pack her bag. "Come in," she said.

The door opened and Itachi stepped into the room. "Going somewhere?"

"I have to go see Sasuke," Sakura replied coolly despite the fact that her entire body was shaking from the mere thought of sneaking in and out of Konoha.

"I see," he replied. Suddenly, Itachi found himself wondering when this became some sort of democracy when Sakura could decide what she was going to do. He blamed Deidara and Tobi for this. If they hadn't let her out of her room, she'd still be cooped up like a good prisoner. Then again, if they hadn't let her out of her room, Itachi would still by dying and in more pain than he was willing to admit to. Sakura didn't turn to look at him, but she could hear the disapproval in his voice.

"I need to examine him before I do anything," she explained as she continued to pack her back. "Research will only get me so far."

"Hm."

Sakura turned, slinging the backpack over her shoulder. "I should be back by dawn," she stated, looking into his deep obsidian eyes.

"Why didn't you go with them?"

"What?"

"Your comrades. You miss them. You should be with them. You know you belong in Konoha," he replied, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the wall that was adjacent to the door.

Sakura stiffened. "I need the research that you have on Orochimaru," she replied as she took a few steps forward.

Itachi left the wall and closed the distance between them in a few steps so that their chests were almost touching. "Is that all?" he drawled slowly. "Is that the only reason you've stayed all this time?"

"You tell me," Sakura replied indignantly. No, she would not let this proximity get to her. Itachi's hands went up slowly, as if not to scare her, and cupped her cheeks. His head leaned down and he closed the distance quickly. Their lips met, and Sakura felt her heart melt and her knees go weak. Suddenly, there was only her and Itachi.

After a brief, chaste kiss, he pulled back. "So, Sakura, is that all? Is the research the only reason you stayed?"

"Maybe," she replied breathily as she pulled back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She walked to the door quietly and opened it. "Sakura." She stopped. His voice was impassive as ever, but Sakura could hear the hesitance in his words. "Be safe…and make sure you come back."

Her heart fluttered and she almost lost her resolve to leave, but she did. It was only a few hours journey to Konoha from Whirlpool Country when you were as fast as Sakura. It was pitch black by the time the gates of Konoha loomed in the distance, and Sakura knew that this would be her biggest test of all. She would be so close to home, and yet, she would have to leave in a few hours.

Getting into Konoha was relatively easy, Sakura hated to admit. No enemy shinobi could get in and out without being detected, but Sakura knew all of the faults of the Konoha guard. One of which she used often to sneak out to train at night. As she slipped into the gates and ran stealthily across the training grounds, Sakura felt her heart beating loudly in her chest. How she missed home so much. How she longed to return here. How she wished she could bring Itachi with her…

Wait, where had that thought come from? Pushing it aside, she made her way undetected through the town.

The prison was not heavily guarded this time of night, and she made her way stealthily past the guards that were stationed too-far-apart outside. Once again, it was only from years of experience that she knew the flaws in Konoha's defenses. One of which was the guard change. There was a ten minute window where there was no guard at the front desk. As she made her way down the stairs, she waited for the footsteps of the next guard to lessen.

Sakura made her way down one flight of stairs to the D block. Sasuke would have been put there because it was near the surface, and most prisoners were kept further underground. Only one guard would be stationed outside, and she saw that guard right now. "Hey there, Sweetheart," he whispered before she could even reveal herself.

"Genma," she replied, hugging him lightly.

"Go on in. He's sleeping like a baby."

Sakura slipped into the room silently, and as Genma said, he was asleep on his back, hands resting peacefully behind his head. As Sakura approached, a though crossed her mind. It was there so fast and gone in the next instant, but it made her smile nonetheless. _He looks just like Itachi when he sleeps_.

Sakura was shocked when Sasuke didn't awaken from her presence immediately. Her eyebrows arched in surprise when he didn't awake when she was ended up right next to him, leaning over him. _Tch, I would have killed him by now if I were an enemy. Let's have some fun with this one_.

Sakura sat across Sasuke's lap, Indian-style, waiting for him to wake up. Pressure on his legs would surely make him wake up, right? No. The younger Uchiha still slept. What did he do all day that made him that exhausted? He was in prison, for Kami's sakes. Annoyed now, Sakura allowed some of her chakra, only a small amount that would be recognizable to someone within ten feet of her, leak out.

Sasuke's eyes began to flutter open. It took them a moment to clear, and realize someone was sitting on top of him. That someone was smirking at him with an evil glint in her jade eyes.

"Good morning, Sasuke. Let's have a chat."

X

AN: Thank you for reading and please review! I love reviews! Yes-sir-ee I do I do!


	15. The Extraordinary Moment

AN: I'm sorry. I know you've waited longer than usual for this chapter to get up. Thank you for your patience.

After reading this story, I've decided to do some relatively major reconstruction on chapters 1-5, and some minor edited on the subsequent chapters. I think it'll make the story better. However, I won't start that until I'm finished writing this story. Thank you to the people who suggested taking the 'clips' out and adding them to the body of the story. I post those things and love your feedback. Most of the time, I fully agree with you guys. So I'm going to do that – so if you'll bear with me, I'll be fixing up the first portion of the story at some point.

Speaking of which – there are about 5ish more chapters after this. The sequel is still in planning stages. Thank you for reading this, guys!

Also, I've posted some stuff on my profile to update ya'll on the status of my stories. I know there are some Blue Jays readers that are wondering what's going on. If you're curious, check out my page.

Thank you for reading and reviewing this chapter! Please review!

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 15: The Extraordinary Moment**

* * *

_"Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate."  
― Sun Tzu, the Art of War_

* * *

Uchiha Itachi didn't get worried. Uchiha Itachi didn't get worried because Uchiha's _never_ worried. Therefore, he surmised, he was not worried. No, he was not concerned with the fact that Sakura had just run off into the night to go home. He was not worried that she wouldn't come back. He was not troubled with the notion that someone would capture her. He was not worried that she would be found by rogue-nin and they would kidnap her. He was not worried that she was the clumsiest kunoichi he's ever met, and very well could have fallen and twisted her ankle and be lying in some ditch right now. He was not worried that she still had feelings for his foolish little brother – because that would be borderline jealousy. And if there was one thing that Uchihas felt less than worry, it was jealousy.

So, if he wasn't worried, why couldn't he sleep? The day had certainly been long and tiring enough. Surely, he was tired. His eyelids were heavy and his head hurt. His legs shook slightly when he stood. All signs pointed to his body being tired, but his mind was not. That was a lie. His mind was also exhausted. But he couldn't fall asleep – not until she was home.

_Damn it, kunoichi_. He thought. Standing from his bed, he yanked his pants, shirt, and cloak on forcefully. He walked into the kitchen where Kisame and Deidara were drinking, as always. "Where are you going?" Kisame asked gruffly and then hiccupped. He downed another shot of something very pungent before turning back to Itachi with glazed eyes.

"Out," Itachi replied smoothly. "I'll be back by dawn."

Kisame laughed heartily. "Say hi to the kid for me."

Itachi glared, but walked out the door silently and began to run in the direction of Konoha.

X

"And here I was thinking hell couldn't get any worse," Sasuke muttered under his breath. Sakura arched a pink eyebrow in response, a smirk splaying across her face. Sasuke shifted a little and realized Sakura was sitting completely on top of him. "Would you get off me? You're so-"

"Annoying?" Sakura answered, jumping off the bed so she was next to Sasuke. "You should be nicer to people Sasuke-_kun_ – especially when people are trying to…you know…help save your life."

"Tch. I was going to say heavy, but annoying works too."

"Don't be such an arrogant bastard. I have to examine you," Sakura hissed, smacking the Uchiha over the head lightly. Sasuke grunted and turned over on his mattress so his back was to her. "Trust me, I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here."

"Go away, Sakura," he replied gruffly. "I'm only here because of you in the first place."

"Yes, yes, very true. It's not my fault you underestimated me, again, Uchiha. Anyway, do you want Orochimaru out of you or not?" Sakura asked. She saw Sasuke visibly stiffen from where he was. Slowly, he turned around to face her. Onyx eyes faded into crimson orbs that shown brightly in the black cell.

"Can you?" Sasuke replied warily.

"I don't know," Sakura replied honestly, "But I do have to examine you to find out."

"So you escaped my brother?" Sasuke asked, glaring at her through the darkness.

Sakura stiffened. "Sort of," she replied. "I'm going back."

Sasuke sat bolt upright and grabbed Sakura's wrist. Before she could defend herself, she was on her back on the mattress with Sasuke pressed against her tightly. "What?" he hissed. His face was mere centimeters from hers and she could feel his hot breath tickle her skin.

"They have a lot of research Orochimaru did. I need to go through it because it could help," Sakura replied a little timidly. She had not expected Sasuke to react like this. Sure, she expected him to be angry, but she hadn't though he would pin her down on the bed. The proximity was making her anxious, and she attempted to wriggle out his grasp. However, his grip was iron tight – strong enough to leave welts on her arms.

"My brother is dangerous," Sasuke muttered, his gaze never leaving hers.

Sakura let out a bark of laughter. "Maybe you just don't know him well enough. He's really just a big softy," she replied with a genuine smile. The look Sasuke gave her was even more deadly than it was before. "Calm down, Sasuke. Your brother had never done anything to physically hurt me."

"How about mentally and emotionally?" Sasuke replied bitterly. "That's his specialty."

Sakura hesitated, which was her mistake. Sasuke's eyes turned dark as he looked at her uncertainty. "What'd he do to you?"

"Nothing," she replied hastily. Her mind filled with the mission scrolls that had been assigned to Konoha ANBU in the past, and her heart fluttered in unease. Something twisted her stomach when she thought about those horrible missions, but nothing compared to Itachi's last mission as a Konoha shinobi. Sighing, Sakura continued, "It was months ago, when he first kidnapped me. He's only been kind to me since."

Sasuke's grip wavered a bit, and he pulled himself off of Sakura in a swift, graceful motion. He was sitting, cross-legged, at the end of the bed staring at her. "Kind?" he echoed. "My brother doesn't know the meaning of the word, Sakura. What you've been seeing is just a façade. He's using you to get to me!"

"No, Sasuke," Sakura replied resolutely, shaking her head, "He's not using me at all. He does know kindness; more than you know."

"Are you sleeping with him or something?" Sasuke accused, "Because you're awfully defensive of him."

Sakura gasped, "How could you accuse me of such a thing? And even if I was, it's _none_ of your business."

"…"

"Sasuke just let me scan you. Please," Sakura pleaded a bit. Right now, he was just wasting her time. She could be back at base, in bed, and preparing for her morning training with Kisame. But no, she was here, _for him_. And he was being a royal pain in the ass.

Sasuke let out a deep, defeated sigh, Sakura's face spread into a wide grin. "Hn."

"Alright just lay down on the bed. Oh don't give me that look. I'm not going to jump your bones…. Are you blushing?" Sakura laughed a little. "Lie down and close your eyes. I'm going to enter your mind."

"Enter my mind?" Sasuke questioned, his red orbs fixing on her in a distrustful stare.

"It's the only way I can think of to examine you. I need to enter you consciousness in order to determine how large of a role Orochimaru is playing from within you. It's important, Sasuke," Sakura stressed. "I won't be doing anything drastic today. But I need to see Orochimaru," Sakura explained, her mind fogging with nervousness. This was not something she had ever attempted before, but she knew it was possible. On her journey here, she figured out a way to do something similar to a mind-body transfer like the Yamanaka's did, and it would hopefully work on Sasuke. "Just lie down and relax, okay?"

Sasuke gave her another look, but lay down on his back anyway. Sakura sat next to him on the bed, positioning herself between his arm and hip, and looked at him one last time. It struck her, very suddenly, as to how much Sasuke looked like Itachi now that he was more mature. While Sasuke's features were more rigid and masculine, the general appearance was still very similar. Especially when Sasuke closed his eyes, she realized, he looked just like Itachi did while she was working on his heart. Her heart flickered inexplicably, and the urge to smile washed over her. Oh, this wouldn't do. She could not feel such things for Itachi because their time was coming to an end. However, she couldn't help it. You can't choose the ones you love. _LOVE?! What the hell, Haruno, you're going crazy_. She thought suddenly. Shaking the feelings of discomfort off, she slowly pressed her hands together in a number of seals and pressed her palms lightly to the sides of Sasuke's temples in order to enter his mind.

X

_It was black. Everything was black, and she was alone. Her eyes opened as the cool air of Sasuke's mind engulfed her like a sickening blanket of confusion and anger. So, this was the mind of Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura looked around cautiously as a light began to flicker a few meters to her left. Sasuke's form came into view suddenly, and he looked annoyed. Instead of wearing the gray jumpsuit he had been given at the jail, he was in his full Sound attire which made him look even more intimidating. _

"_Your mind is a scary place, Sasuke," Sakura commented as she began to walk around. "I can almost touch the fury within you. It's like a haze."_

_Sasuke shrugged, clearly uncomfortable having Sakura inside his consciousness. "What are you looking for?" he asked coldly. _

"_Not what Sasuke, but who. Is there a way to summon Orochimaru to you? I need to see him," Sakura replied as she gazed into the expansive darkness. Is this what her mind looked like? It couldn't. Perhaps it was dark in her consciousness, but there was no way that the hatred and fury would be so palpable within her. Every breath she took was filled with an unexplained resentment that was radiating from Sasuke. Sadness, her own sadness, engulfed her. If only she could tell Sasuke the truth about Itachi, then maybe he wouldn't be so angry. However, that wasn't her place. Itachi would have to tell him on his own. If he decided not to…then Sakura would tell Sasuke. But she wouldn't meddle unnecessarily. _

"_Why would you want to see him? And I have no idea how to summon him. I do everything I can to keep him pushed back," Sasuke replied gruffly, turning his back to her. _

"_Are you keeping him away right now?" Sakura asked cautiously, approaching him so she stood at his side. _

"_Yes."_

"_Then stop pushing him down and maybe he'll come out," Sakura said. She was beginning to feel nervous. Confronting a sannin in the middle of your former comrade's consciousness was not a safe or rudimentary procedure, but she couldn't think of any other way to examine him. If Orochimaru was a life force within Sasuke, she needed to know how strong of a force he was. _

_Sasuke's face was strained with tension and anxiety. "No."_

"_Sasuke…"_

"_There has to be another way."_

"_There isn't. This is the only way I can think of to-"_

"_Sakura, don't." Just as his words left his lips a sudden chill overcame them and Sasuke's face turned pale as his onyx orbs bled crimson. It seemed as if all the blood left his face as his breathing became labored. "Sakura-"_

"_Sasuke?" Sakura questioned, running to him as he collapsed onto his hands and knees. "What's wrong?"_

"_He's pissed that you're here. Get out," Sasuke commanded. _

"_But I-"_

"_OUT!" Sasuke bellowed, but this time, there was a discernible lisp behind his words that made him sound like a snake. Just as she was being forced out of his mind, Sasuke looked at her. His eyes were yellow._

X

Sakura's hands came off of his head so fast that she almost hit herself in the face. Sasuke's eyes opened suddenly, bulging out in panic. He looked around at Sakura for a moment before taking a few deep breaths to calm down. "He's fused with your consciousness," Sakura stated as she took a few deep breaths. Her heart was thrumming so loud it was almost all she could hear.

"I'm trying…"

"I know," Sakura replied briefly as she stood from her place. "I'm going back to the Akatsuki base now. But I think I know what has to be done. Although, you're not going to like it."

"I'll do anything to have this bastard out of me," Sasuke replied, running a hand through his spikey raven hair. "What am I not going to like?"

"I'm not going to explain it right now because I'm not even sure if it would work. I also need to do more research before I jump to conclusions," Sakura replied. "I'll have to write a report and send it to Tsunade…"

Sakura trailed off as all the possibilities flooded her mind. This was not good. Sakura had been hoping that Orochimaru would be a separate entity within Sasuke that they could extract, but now he had fused with Sasuke. This meant they would need to separate the two and then extract Orochimaru. Everything just got a lot more complicated, and it would take her longer than previously anticipated to figure this all out. _But_, a small voice in the back of her head whispered_, that means more time with Itachi_.

"Sakura," Sasuke stated as Sakura subconsciously walked to the door.

Sakura turned to him, "Yes, Sasuke?"

"Do you think you'll be able to remove him?" he asked in a quiet, unguarded voice. It was a voice that Sakura had never heard from Sasuke. It was vulnerable. He was afraid.

Sakura plastered on her best, most reassuring doctor face, "Yes, Sasuke, I do. For now, you get some sleep. I'll probably be back to examine you next week. Good night."

"Good night, Sakura."

Leaving the village was harder than she had thought it would be. As she jumped the fence when the border patrols were between posts, she felt an ache in her heart that begged her to go back. Her legs landed on the ground with a gentle thud and she fell over onto her hands and knees. Silent tears streamed down her face for just a moment. The overwhelming urge to see Naruto and Ino overcame her for a instant as her body shook from the pressure. Was this was heartbreak was like? That's certainly what if felt like. Betrayal – that's what she was doing. She was betraying her comrades. This was her chance – her golden opportunity. She could jump back over the walls and never look back. Her teammates and friends would protect her from the Akatsuki – it would only be too simple. Genma had hugged her as she left Sasuke's cell, and she had almost lost it right there. But she had left anyway, each step taking her further from her home.

If Sasuke didn't need her, she would have stayed. But he did need her, and she needed the information at the base. So she would have to go back – there was no other choice…not _really_.

Sakura wiped the tears away ruthlessly and stood up slowly. Her Akatsuki cloak lay about three hundred yards from the wall, but when she went to retrieve it, it was gone. She looked around cautiously as she pulled out a kunai. Who would steal her cloak? If an Akatsuki cloak was found so close to the Konoha borders, then the entire village would have been alerted and in a panic before Sakura even got the opportunity to leave. Her eyes scanned the trees that surrounded the cloak carefully.

For a moment, just a moment, she was sure she saw two red eyes peering at her from a tree branch, and a small smile appeared on her face involuntarily, "Itachi, I know you're there." He dropped down in front of her silently, her Akatsuki robe hanging loosely from his pale fingers. Sakura gave him a good look to make sure he wasn't a genjutsu or a trap, but soon determined it was indeed the real thing. She ran to him and grabbed her cloak, with a fake scowl on her face. "You could have gotten yourself killed. I was ready to attack."

A smug smirk was her response, and the resounding 'hn' that fell from Itachi's lips sounded a whole lot like 'As if you could kill me.'

"Why're you here anyway? You know they would attack you on sight," Sakura chastised as they began walking in the direction of Whirlpool Country.

"You forgot your gloves at the base," he replied emphatically, holding up two black gloves in front of her face.

Sakura was quiet for a moment before a realization dawned on her. "No I didn't," she replied with the puzzled tone to her voice that echoed her confusion, "Those were in my cloak… Hey were you worried about me?"

"You are much too loud. We will surely be caught and attacked by any patrolling shinobi."

He wasn't meeting her eye, and a large smile splayed helplessly on her face, "You were worried about me."

"I'm an Uchiha. Uchiha's do not worry."

"Right, so what were you really doing here then?" she asked, wagging a finger in his face. When he gave the offending finger a look that certainly meant death, she dropped it by her side.

"You have yet to make my eye drops that will keep my eyes from deteriorating. I was simply making sure you finished the deal you made with me," he responded. It was then that his eyes trailed down her arm that hung loosely at her sides. He grabbed her hand quickly and unexpectedly, pulling the sleeves of her cloak down to reveal a very deep bruise on her wrists. The bruise happened to be shaped like a handprint. "What did he do to you?" His tone was chilly and deadly.

"Nothing, nothing," Sakura replied hastily, yanking her arm out of his grasp. She clenched her wrists in her hands and allowed some of her green chakra to escape in order to heal the bruises. "He just got mad at me. Nothing worse happened than this. I forgot they were even there."

"Hn."

"Come on!" Sakura said suddenly, running into the trees, "Last one to the base makes breakfast!"

Itachi allowed a small smirk to appear on his lips before he launched himself into the trees. Of course, several hours later when they arrived at the base, Sakura was making breakfast.

X

The training ground they were in was large for a private ground – about half the size of training ground 3 back in Konoha. The lake sat at the northern edge of the ground, and a small grove of trees covered a patch of land towards the east. Next to the grove was a rack of weapons, a few targets, and some dummies that could be used for combat practice. Other than that, there was a large clearing that was perfect for sparring. Deidara sat by the water of the lake, molding clay and preparing it for use, while Itachi sat on a bench that lay on the border of the lake, reading a book.

Kisame circled her like prey. Sakura stood in the middle of the outdoor clearing, arms crossed over her chest, not responding to his advances. Slowly, he was making his way closer and closer to her. Her eyes followed him carefully, looking for any sign that he may attack. When he was at her left side, about five meters away from her, his arm shifted ever so slightly with Samehada in it. _There_. Sakura jumped straight into the air to dodge a swing from Samehada. She flipped in order to counter another blow. She landed on the sword, using her gloves as a chakra barrier so the sword could not consume her chakra. However, it was quickly wretched from underneath her and she had to flip once again in order to dodge another hit.

"Just going to run away, kid?" Kisame taunted.

Her knees buckled ever so slightly when she hit the ground. It was just before noon, and she had only returned from Konoha a few hours before – meaning she had only gotten about three hours of sleep – not prime conditions for sparring with the Akatsuki. "I'm just getting warmed up," Sakura replied nonchalantly, standing fully to face Kisame.

"Sweetheart, the bags under your eyes say different," Kisame replied with a gruff laugh.

Sakura's face turned dark. "You asshole! I do not have bags under my eyes!"

Sakura's fist hit the ground and it ruptured, causing Kisame to jump into the air. Sakura followed him closely and dodged a hit from his sword. Twisting her body, she threw a punch towards his shoulder. The Samehada came up to block, though, and she felt some of her chakra leak into it. She pulled her hand back as if it were burned but recovered quickly. A rain of shuriken made their way at Kisame, who dodged them easily. However, he didn't see the seals on them that made them chakra-honing shuriken. They whipped back around towards him and Kisame had just enough time to dodge them, biting out a curse as he did so. This left him off guard, and Sakura threw a chakra-infused punch towards his ribs.

A hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist. Her body jerked involuntarily until she was on the ground with both her arms behind her back, a large boot pressed into her lower back. "That was clever, with the shuriken, but you still lost, kid," Kisame chortled.

Sakura swore at him loudly, but she was nowhere near finished with this fight. Large amounts of chakra channeled into her arms and through her wrists where Kisame was holding her. With a burst of strength, she ripped her arms out of his grasp and slammed them on the earth beneath her. The earth erupted into a fissure, and Sakura sank beneath it while Kisame was still trying to collect what had happened and balance himself on the uneven surface. Several fowl words left his mouth when he realized that the kunoichi was no longer visible.

Sakura took a moment to collect herself as she resided under the earth. She felt Kisame move closer to her and was sure that he knew where she was. Slowly, she made the hand signs for an earth jutsu. As Kisame grew closer, she released the jutsu which forced several earth pillars to explode from the ground, taking Sakura to the top of one. When she looked down from her place twenty feet above the ground, she found Kisame wedged in an uncomfortable looking position between three pillars, the Samehada lying on the ground several yards away.

"Dammit, kid, what the hell?!" Kisame yelled. "My arm's stuck. Get me out of here now!"

"Not until you admit defeat," Sakura jeered from her safe place on top of the earthen pillar.

"Like hell," Kisame replied.

"It gets cold at night. I hope you don't mind sleeping out here then," Sakura replied, turning her back to him and lying down on the pillar so she was out of view. "You know, if this were a real battle, I would have killed you by now, so you should just admit that you lost. And I didn't even get to use the jutsu I wanted to show you. You're getting soft, old man."

"That's it! When I get out of here, I'm going to chew your arms off with my razor sharp teeth you disrespectful little brat!" Kisame called back, but his voice sounded much more strained. "Kids these days have no respect for their elders."

"Kisame, you are making yourself sound like an old man," Itachi intoned monotonically from his place on the bench, just loud enough for them to hear. His eyes hadn't left his book, but the amused smirk that was pressing his features was clearly from the conversation at hand.

"Are you ready to admit that you lost to me? If it makes you feel better, I killed Sasori when I was much younger. At least you're stronger than him," Sakura replied, not turning her head to look at him.

"What'd you say about Sasori-senpai?" Deidara asked. He stood to get a better view of the kunoichi, but she was blocked from them because of the pillar she was resting on. "I know you weren't about to insult him, were you?"

"Of course not, Deidara," Sakura replied too-sweetly. She shifted onto her stomach so she was peering down at Itachi and Deidara on the other side of the clearing, closer to the water. Sakura pushed her lips out into a pout, "I didn't get to show you guys the jutsu I learned." Suddenly, Sakura's face turned mischievously bright. "I know how I'll get Kisame out of the earth pillars!"

Her hands were already halfway through the signs by the time she landed on the surface of the water, just behind Itachi and Deidara. The two Akatsuki turned to look at her just as she finished the seals: "Suiton: Suikōdan no Jutsu!"

Sakura thrust her arm upwards and in the direction of Kisame. A large body of water surrounded her in the form of a shark and flew at incredibly speeds towards the trapped Akatsuki. It hit the pillars in full force, which destroyed the three earth pillars and effectively freed Kisame. Sakura was laughing, completely drenched, when the water crashed and she lay on the ground next to Kisame – equally drenched.

"Where the hell," Kisame began, but he was still catching his breath from being hit with a shark-shaped water bullet and mounds of earth, "Did you learn my water jutsu?"

Sakura laughed pitilessly, "Sorry, I didn't know the jutsu belonged to _you_ only."

If things couldn't get any better, or funnier, Sakura pushed herself up using her arms and looked around. Her laugh was loud and instantaneous, and she couldn't remember ever laughing so hard. Twenty meters away, sitting on a bench, was a completely soaked Uchiha Itachi who was looking none-too-amused. A perfect onyx eyebrow arched at her, which only made her laugh harder. Even Kisame began to chortle when he was able to stand up and see what the commotion was about. Surely, Deidara would have laughed if 1. he didn't fear for his life, and 2. he was completely soaked as well.

It took a few minutes for her to calm down, and she only did when she couldn't breathe from laughing so hard that her laughs had turned silent. Why it was so funny, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was because the usually infallible Uchiha was soaked to the bone because of a jutsu she did, or maybe it was because he didn't find this situation funny. There was also the fine possibility that she was just sleep deprived, but she would prefer to think it was one of the former options.

Sakura stood up, a large grin plastered on her face, "You guys go get dry. I'll make lunch."

After the back door to the house closed with the kunoichi receding in the distance, Kisame looked at the other too. "She's gotten a lot stronger since she's come to stay with us," he commented.

Deidara nodded his head in agreement. Itachi merely stated, "Indeed," as he began to ring the water out of his hair.

X

The next two months went by relatively quickly for Sakura because there was a systematic pattern to her days. Very rarely did it deviate from the norm. She would wake up, eat a light breakfast, and spar with Kisame, Deidara, or Itachi for the better part of the morning. Then she would eat lunch, shower, and spend the rest of the day working through Orochimaru's scrolls. Only after dinner, which was usually spent in her room, would she come out and spend some time with the three Akatsuki. Sometimes one or two would be gone on missions, so she would merely socialize with whoever was there. On the one occasion that she was left completely alone, Sakura forgot to eat and sleep – effectively causing her to pass out at her desk only to be found the next day by a frantic Deidara. After that, her three companions checked on her frequently to ensure she was being properly nourished. She would retire to her room early in the night only to be joined later by Itachi.

Speaking of whom…did she mention that she was head over heels in love? She never said it, and neither did he, but she didn't expect anything different. In fact, Sakura believed she was being relatively realistic about the situation with the elder Uchiha. She was well aware of the fact that their relationship, if one could call it that – because they certainly never did, was temporary. It was unspoken but understood. Their nights together were glorious for her, though. At first, they would merely talk (well, Sakura talked, Itachi sometimes responded with a sentence if he was feeling extra chatty). Then, as she made progress through the scrolls, they discussed different possibilities as how to get Orochimaru defused and extracted from Sasuke. After he was sure she was in bed for the night, he would kiss her senseless before retiring to his own room. It never went further than that.

One night, though, Itachi took her on a real date. A little over a month since her first encounter with Sasuke, she found a kimono folded neatly on her bed when she finished her afternoon shower. A note pinned to the top said, _'Be ready at 7_.' Sakura knew what Itachi's handwriting looked like, and she knew it was his. The kimono was dark red, almost maroon, with a black swirling pattern that covered the entire thing. The obi was black and was tied with a red silk ribbon. Sakura had to admit that it was gorgeous – it also fit like a glove and made her eyes and hair stand out perfectly. So, when seven came around, a familiar knock sounded at the door to her room. Sakura opened it to find an incredibly gorgeous raven-haired, onyx-eyed man leaning against the frame. He was clad in black slacks and a button-up dress shirt. He guided her silently to a small, affluent village not far from the base. They had dinner at a small, beautiful restaurant and then walked around the town, looking at the lights. Itachi had been the one to take Sakura's arm and place it in his – which made her quiver in excitement at the open display of affection. Just as they were about to depart and head back to the base, it began to snow. Sakura danced in it unashamedly the entire way back while Itachi trailed her with a genuine (small, but genuine) smile on his face.

That was the first night they slept together.

Sakura didn't want to call it 'making love,' but calling it 'just sex' was definitely wrong as well. To her, it was making love. There was no other way to put it, in her case, but she wasn't sure how Itachi felt about it. Of course, she never asked, and he never addressed it.

It was a few days after their date that she found _it_. She had spent the few hours after dinner going through more of Orochimaru's scrolls. Itachi was lying on her bed, book in hand, while she opened a few scrolls while sitting at her desk. Orochimaru wrote all of his notes in code, but Sakura was familiar with it because Tsunade used a lot of the same encryption methods as the snake sannin. A pile of half-read scrolls lay in a box by her feet. They were all scrolls Sakura deemed dangerous to Konoha and was planning on destroying them before she left permanently.

She had just dumped a scroll into the box and picked up another. Unrolling it, she scanned the contents carefully once. Not believing what she was reading, she read it again. A gasp escaped her lips as she dropped the scroll unexpectedly. Itachi looked up from his book and looked at her.

"Sakura?" he called quietly.

Sakura just stared at the scroll, heart beating so loud from adrenaline she could barely hear him. Even the thought that a scroll such as this existed made her shake with anxiety. The power one would have with that scroll was enormous. "Do you know…" she whispered, "What that scroll does…?"

Itachi moved from his place on the bed and walked over to her silently. He picked up the scroll and looked at it. "I can't read this," he answered warily. Clearly, the look on her face was making him concerned.

"No one," she croaked, "should be able to read that scroll. We need to destroy that."

"What does it do, tell me," he ordered quietly.

"Why don't I show you?" she responded. The scroll was powerful, very, very powerful. In the wrong hands, it could bring down any village. Some of it was curiosity, though. Now that she had read the scroll, she needed to know if it really worked. If it did, then how many of these scrolls existed and who knew how to perform the jutsu inside? Could anybody else read this? Had Kabuto read this? Could anybody else but her read this? Her mind was a whirlwind of unanswered questions that required answers. She wasn't sure if Orochimaru would share this precious information with anybody else. This scroll was powerful, very powerful, and he would most likely want to keep it for himself.

Slowly, she read through the scroll again. Grabbing a kunai from her bag, she pricked her thumbs so they were both bleeding a little. She made the subsequent hand signs – the ones she was sure she would now never forget – and smeared the blood from her thumbs across her eyelids.

Shooting pain fired from the back of her eyes to the back of her head and all the way to the back of her neck. A yelp of surprise and pain escaped her before she could stop it. Her hand went up to her temple automatically as she felt her eyes beat so hard she was sure they were going to burst in their sockets.

Itachi was leaning into her now, looking as the blood that covered her eyelids began to pulse green. It did for a moment before fading into her lids permanently, and they returned to their normal color. Only then did Sakura crack her eyes open.

However, they weren't the glorious, emotional emerald he was so used to seeing. Instead, he was staring into the blood-red depths of the Sharingan – two tomoe spinning restlessly in each.

For the first time in years, Itachi felt all the breath leave him in one fowl swoop. This scroll gave the ability to utilize the Sharingan. Sakura was right – no one should read that scroll. If Orochimaru had access to this, he could raise an entire Sharingan-wielding army that would crush any hidden village.

Sakura looked confused at his stunned reaction for a moment before staring at herself in the mirror that sat on her desk.

"Holy shit," she breathed. Everything was brighter now. It was like someone had peeled a film from her eyes, and she was seeing clearly for the first time. When Itachi moved to face her fully, she could see every move before he made it. Not only that, but she could make out every pore on his flawless face and every wave in his silky hair. Sakura instantly understood why Itachi and Sasuke wished to always keep their bloodline activated. The world was a whole new place. Suddenly, she was nervous as to how Itachi would react to this. Would he be mad? Shouldn't she have asked his permission before doing this? Did she require his permission for such a thing?

That's when he did something unexpected. He kissed her. His hands cupped her chin and his lips pressed fully to hers. It wasn't long, but it was filled with passion, and it left Sakura craving more – much more – as Itachi's kisses usually did. When he pulled back, he ran his calloused fingers under her eyes softly. "Red suits you," he said quietly. Sakura was about to speak when he continued, "Destroy the scroll. I'll start teaching you how to use them in the morning."

And they did. Every morning and evening for the following three weeks, they trained Sakura's Sharingan so that both eyes featured three tomoe. It wasn't nearly as good as Itachi's or Sasuke's, but it was an effective weapon on the battlefield. Even Kisame had to concede it gave her an edge over him, but he never admitted defeat, even when the kunoichi unceremoniously pounded him into the ground one day. Deidara wasn't so stubborn. After one sparring session, he vowed to never fight her again if he could help it. Sakura called him a wimp while she healed his four broken ribs, fractured leg, and mended his ruptured intestines.

This training didn't deter from her work on Orochimaru's research. That's why, one day, two months after she was given the task of finding out how to get Orochimaru separated from Sasuke, she announced she had found a way to do it.

And she needed Itachi's help.

* * *

AN: Whew. That was really, really hard to write. I'm not sure why, but I struggled with this chapter. I know a lot happens, and it is probably choppier than I want it to be. I'm sorry if it jumps around a lot. I needed to get this all done, though, so I can get to the important stuff in the last few chapters.

Thank you for reading, and please review.

Also, here's some unashamed advertising for my new (I know, I'm already super busy with my other stuff but this is going to be shorter and I'll be focusing on this first, don't kill me) SasukeXSakura story:

In Order To Heal

Summary: The day Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha, Naruto's broad arm slung around his shoulders with a glowing smile plastered on his face, was supposed to be the best day of her life. Instead, she crouched on top of a roof that overlooked the gates with a look of contempt hidden under her ceramic ANBU mask. Post Shinobi World War. SasukeXSakura and other secondary pairings TBD. Rated M.

Please check it out!


	16. Something Perfect

AN: Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you to those who reviewed and gave their feedback. I plan on reworking the previous chapter a bit when I go to reconstruct the story.

I would like to point out a (portion of a) review by **V-ChanLSSJ:**

"_**This chapter was certainly interesting. I might have read something similar about the scroll Sakura found that supplies the ability to contain and use the Sharingan, it sounds familiar**_."

Here's why I'm pointing this out: I feel as if I've read the idea somewhere else too. I'd love to say that the idea was completely original, but when I decided to include that as part of the story, it felt super familiar to me as well. I've been reading fanfiction for a very long time, and there is the possibility that I found that in another story _years_ ago and subconsciously buried it. If I knew the story, or knew that the story existed with this idea, I wouldn't have put or I would have changed it a bit.

So my plea to reviewers: if you know what story V-ChanLSSJ and I may be thinking about, then please let me know. I do not wish to blatantly plagiarize ideas, even if it is fanfiction. At least that way, I can perhaps give the author credit for the idea. Then again, if I do find an author who had the idea, how do I know if they came up with it by themselves? There could be other stories out there with the same idea and I wouldn't want to credit one while not crediting the others. Huff, huff. It's a fickle world we live in. Anyway, let me know if any of you have any ideas.

Some people also were confused at the purpose of the Sharingan and introducing it to Sakura. For now, it has none. However, it is important for the sequel and it would make no sense to introduce it later. It fit well with what I was doing now. I'm sorry if that was very unclear. I hope I clear up some of that in this chapter.

Anyway, I'll stop yammering now and let you read. Thank you for reading and please review!

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 16: Something Perfect**

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_"I think our last kiss was meant to be quick and chaste, but after the first touch of his lips fire leaped up and roared through my belly. My fingers yanked him close, digging into his back, and his arms crushed me to him as if wanting to meld us together. I knotted my fingers in his hair and bit down on his bottom lip, making him groan. His lips parted, and my tongue swept in to dance with his. There was nothing sweet or gentle in our last kiss; it was filled with sorrow and desperation, of the bitter knowledge that we could've had something perfect, but it just wasn't meant to be."_

_-Julie Kagawa, The Iron Daughter_

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"Next week," she said definitely, looking over her notes in the dark cell, a small flashlight lighting the contents of her research.

Sasuke was propped up against the wall on his bed, eyeing her warily. Sakura had just spent the last hour probing his mind dutifully. This time, she hadn't been expelled when Sasuke had tried to force her out. She watched him transform as he fully succumbed to his curse seal. His usually deep, masculine voice was replaced with a hiss that made her skin crawl, and for the first time in a long time, she felt truly frightened of Sasuke. Even the day at the bridge, when he'd tried to kill her, she had never been so afraid of him.

Sasuke gave her a look, asking her what she meant. "I'll be prepared to separate Orochimaru from you next week," she explained. "I've been working for a month on a solution, and I think I figured out a way to do it. We won't know until we try, right?"

Sasuke shrugged. Sakura pursed her lips a bit, "Sasuke, I'm going to need Itachi to help me with the procedure."

Instantly, Sasuke stiffened and sent her a withering glare. "No," was his sort, angry answer.

Sakura exhaled loudly, not the least surprised by his angry reaction. "It's something he did with my inner when we first met. I don't know how to describe it…but he…fused us using the Tsukuyomi. My inner was always a part of me, but she was a separate entity completely. Using his Mangekyo, he was able to fuse her consciousness in with mine. At first I thought he had just hidden her behind my mental barrier that I have in place, but I can feel her…with me...I guess is the only way to describe it. So, if Itachi can fuse two conscious together, then he should be able to separate them. I asked him, and he said it was plausible," Sakura explained dutifully, ignoring the glares that Sasuke sent to her. Sighing lightly, she pleaded, "Sasuke…this is the only way…"

His lips thinned into a firm line, his stature stiff from where he sat. Finally, he conceded, "Fine, but he's not to utter one damned word to me or I'll kill him where he stands. And this is his one free pass. If I see him again, then I'll kill him."

"I understand," Sakura replied warily, a sad smile plastered on her features. "Sasuke…do you even want to stay?"

He was silent for a few moments, and Sakura was about to just turn and leave when he answered.

"I've had a lot of time alone in here by myself. And I've thought about some things, and Naruto and Kakashi have talked to me a lot about some stuff. But, yes. You were right. I can't…I can't defeat him on my own," he stated calmly.

"Revenge won't bring you happiness Sasuke," Sakura murmured. "In fact, I believe that if you kill your brother, it will bring you the greatest sadness of all."

Sasuke regarded her silently; his face impassive, but his onyx eyes were staring into hers as if he were trying to figure out exactly what she knew that made her so sure of herself in that statement. It took all of her willpower not to spill everything she knew right there. However, there was a time and place for that conversation and now wasn't it. Someday Sasuke would discover the truth about his family's death, and Sakura sincerely hoped it would be before it was too late to save Itachi _and_ Sasuke. Because she knew Sasuke well enough to know that if he killed Itachi, it would destroy him. It would take whatever little hope they had of saving his soul and crush it like a bug under a heavy combat boot. There would be no room for salvation for him if he killed his brother under the impression that Itachi was a cold-hearted, hateful murderer.

Sakura gave him one last sad smile, nodded, and stepped out of the room. Genma was standing guard outside of the door, and she could practically see his smile below the ANBU mask.

"You are to meet with someone who wishes to speak with you outside of the gates where you usually cross," he whispered. Sakura went to hand him the scroll that was in her hand, a report to give to Tsunade, but he shook his head. "You can give it to her yourself. I just didn't want you to be too surprised when you saw her, but she's already waiting for you."

Sakura smiled and snuck out of the village, anticipation coursing through her blood at the promise of seeing Tsunade. It was still hard every time she did this – leaving. Every time she had to keep herself from crawling into her apartment and sleeping. It took all of her willpower not to sneak into Naruto's hole of an apartment and climb into bed with him, snuggling him until she fell asleep like she had so many times before. Nonetheless, every time she came, she would leave again. Itachi would meet her outside of the village, near where she left her Akatsuki cloak, and make up some lame excuse as to why he was there; when really, he was there to make sure she came out. It was so sweet it almost made her cry because she would be leaving him soon.

But silently, without speaking a word, they had agreed to enjoy the short amount of time they had left together. Their time was growing shorter and shorter, and now it was limited to a little over a week. As she jumped from the top of the wall, she saw a familiar figure leaning casually against a tree. Her honey-colored eyes were light, a playful smile crossing her lips as her arms were crossed over her large bosom.

"Shishou!" Sakura whisper-cried, running to Tsunade, her arms outstretched. Tsunade grabbed her apprentice-turned-daughter in a tight hug. This was the first time they'd seen each other in real life in over four months.

"Sakura," Tsunade greeted, pulling the girl back by the shoulders and looking her up-and-down thoughtfully. "It's good to see they aren't starving you over there. How are you?"

Sakura beamed up at her mentor. "I'm alright. Genma has been giving you the reports I've been making about Sasuke?"

"Of course. Is that another one?" Tsunade asked, motioning to the scroll in Sakura's hands. Sakura nodded and gave her the scroll. Unraveling it quickly, Tsunade read through the contents twice. "You've told Sasuke your plans?"

Sakura nodded an affirmation. She said warily, "Yeah, he's not happy about it, but he'll have to live with it. He promised not to try and kill Itachi when he saw him."

Tsunade let out a derisive snort. "Speaking of Itachi, tell him he's not as good at hiding his chakra signature as he thinks," she chortled. Pointing a finger over her shoulder, she continued, "He's about a hundred yards that way."

Sakura smiled softly and nodded. "He comes to make sure I come back," she said wistfully.

Tsunade smiled knowingly, yet uncertainly, at her young, emotional apprentice. Sometimes the Godaime wondered if her student knew exactly what she was getting into when she decide to become romantic with the elder Uchiha – not that Sakura had confessed to the relationship out loud, but the implications were obviously there. Of course, Tsunade trusted Sakura to make her own decisions, but her apprentice was young and still naïve to the world. She still believed that she could save everyone.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, discussing the details of the procedure and the plans for after. When the sun began to rise over the horizon, Sakura looked into the trees. She was sure she caught a flash of red from where Itachi had been, but it was gone in the next instant. It was his way of telling her it was time to go.

"I best go, shishou," she finally concluded. Giving her mentor a large, longing hug, she parted with Tsunade giving her the promise she would see her next week.

When the Godaime jumped skillfully over the wall, Sakura made her way into the forest and found Itachi leaning against a tree, eyes closed, as if he had been sleeping there all night. Sakura smiled down at him when he opened one blood-red eye.

"Ready to go?" he asked impassively, not bothering to give an excuse as to his presence this time. Sakura nodded and pretended not to notice the way he scanned her body thoroughly, checking to make sure Sasuke hadn't hurt her again.

"I'm fine," she answered the unasked question. Pecking him on the lips playfully, she jumped into the trees and set off for the base. However, they both knew that this would be the last time they made this journey together. So they walked, went a little slower, and didn't speak of unpleasant things.

Instead, they talked of books, of memories – the happy ones, of ramen, and of obnoxiously loud teammates. He told her of Shisui. She told him of Naruto. He told her of his chunin exams. She stiffened and bit her lip when he asked about hers. So the conversation dropped into a content, comfortable silence as one thought about what the other was thinking of.

X

Uchiha Itachi had never been happy. Sure, prior to the death of his clan, he had memories when he had been amused or even content. There were even times when he had laughed. However, he had never been truly _happy_. That was until Haruno Sakura fought with her bare fists into his life, knocking back the pain and sadness that had resonated within him for so long. She had come in fighting, and she was still fighting, he was sure.

If this wasn't happiness, then Itachi did not believe that happiness existed. His chest became light with elation just thinking about her. He was addicted to her kisses, her touch, the way she smiled at him, the way she hummed to herself. If Deidara or Kisame mentioned her name, his ears would automatically listen in on the conversation. Usually, it was just a story about her, but Itachi didn't care. For some inexplicable reason, he had to know everything about her.

She was his reason for waking up in the morning. She was the one bright spot in the black hole that was his existence. She was the reason why he wanted to live.

And he utterly hated her for it.

Of course, he really didn't hate her, per se. There was admittedly some resentment there. She had waltzed into his life, arguing and fighting the entire dance, and changed it to a tango rather quickly. That's just what she did when she found a partner worth dancing with, it seemed. The woman was admittedly selfish. She had told Itachi as much once, saying that she wanted him to live and she was going to do everything in her power to make him live a full life – and she was doing it just as much for herself as she was for him.

Itachi shifted in his bed, peering down at the woman that had her arms wrapped tightly around his torso, trying not to wake her. In preparation for tomorrow, she had been up late working so she would not be getting much sleep as it was. For the past week, they had spent copious amounts of time together. She spent less time researching and sparring, and more time eating with them and conversing with them. She was making sure to spend as much time with the three men that she could because in two short days, she would be leaving them forever.

She was clad in one of his old shirts, the Uchiha crest blazoned on the back proudly. Usually he would not consent to such physical contact, he was hardly one to cuddle like she was now, but tomorrow was a big day for the both of them, and maybe he needed her as much as she needed him right now. Sighing, Itachi continued his musings as sleep evaded him.

What the infuriatingly addicting kunoichi didn't realize is that she was quickly becoming his reason to live. It wasn't worth waking up if she wasn't lying there next to him, unruly pink hair flying over her peaceful face. It wasn't worth waking up if her eyes wouldn't flutter open a few minutes later, fixate on him, and brighten into one of the most infallible smiles that reached her entire face. It wasn't worth waking up if she didn't jump out of bed, announce she would cook everyone breakfast, and make a beeline for the door only to realize she was hardly dressed to be leaving the confines of her bedroom. She would run over to the dresser, unabashedly rip off whatever shirt she had been wearing – usually the one Itachi had been wearing the day before – and pull on real clothes in order to avoid the snickers from Kisame and Deidara. The entire time, he would observe her, thoroughly amused, and _happy_.

_She_ was why _life_ was worth it – everything. She was why it was worth waking up in this horrible place where he was commanded by a man he didn't respect. She was why it was worth dealing with the hallow pit that formed in his chest every time he thought about his family, when he thought about all of his past sins. Because when he looked into her eyes, and she would stare at him like she was searching for something. Then, her face would go somber like she had seen something she'd feared was there, and she would half-whisper, "You're a hero, Itachi. Don't you ever think otherwise."

And somehow, he would find himself believing her because of how fiercely _she_ believed.

So when she had begun her research, and discovered the scroll of the Sharingan, Itachi was momentarily horrified. The Sharingan was dangerous – very, very dangerous. It created the curse of hatred that thrived within so many of the Uchiha clan. It had been what forced him to murder his entire family. Sasuke was a victim of the curse of hatred.

However, Sakura was different. She was light itself. So, he decided, in order for to be saved from the darkness, he would train her how to utilize the Sharingan properly. It was difficult for her. It seemed that every time she wanted to activate it, she would have to cut her thumb and use the hand signs. Itachi wracked his brain for another way, but it didn't seem that there was.

Short and simple, it was only a jutsu. A normal jutsu that required hand signs and blood – almost like a summon; almost as if the wielder was summoning the Sharingan into their eyes. But Sakura was good with it. Over the past few weeks, she had become very proficient in utilizing the normal Sharingan to the best of her capabilities. She could now activate it and use it in battle for two hours without wasting copious amounts of chakra. In all honesty, Itachi was proud of her. Her hard work had paid off, and she was stronger than any ninja that Konoha had to offer – and that included his foolish younger brother.

Itachi sighed inaudibly again. Yes, his foolish younger brother that he would be facing in a few hours. The woman below him shifted and yawned. Her lazy jade eyes drifted open a bit and peered up at him.

"'Tachi?" she mumbled in her half-sleep state. Her face was the epitome of being sleep-confused, and Itachi couldn't stop himself when his hand reached out to gently stroke her cheek and tuck a few strands of pink hair behind her ear.

"Hm?"

"Why aren't you sleepin'?" she asked, stretching languidly as a content mewl came from the back of her throat. It was perhaps one of the most adorable noises he had ever heard. "Nervous for tomorrow?"

"Hn," Itachi replied warily. Sakura pushed herself up to support herself on her arms.

"It'll be fine…" she murmured. Leaning over, she pecked his cheek lightly. After another small yawn, she smiled sheepishly at him. "We should go to bed… whatchu readin'?"

Itachi looked down at the book in his hand that he hadn't really been reading. It had just simply been open while he thought of the day to come. His favorite novel rested easily against his lap. The black font was small, and the margins held his black script on the sides. They were just his thoughts on the novel. He had received this particular edition from his mother on his thirteenth birthday, so he kept it with him always.

"Just a book," he replied evenly. Sakura craned her neck over to look at the passage he was reading.

"Why do you write in your books?" she asked intently as her eyes ghosted over the even script that rest in the margins.

"It helps me remember what I was thinking at the time I first read the book," Itachi replied. "This particular copy is ten years old."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Your handwriting was this good when you were thirteen?" she asked incredulously.

Itachi couldn't help but emit a low chuckle at her question. "It would appear so," was his even response.

Sakura gave him a half-smile and pushed more of her unruly hair out of her eyes. She got a little closer to him, trying to decipher his words. After a few moments, she asked, "What kind of things do you write?"

"Thoughts," Itachi replied evenly.

"Like what?" Sakura asked. This was how their conversations tended to work out. There had only been a few occasions where Itachi would speak freely, without Sakura badgering him for more information. Usually, she would pick a subject and ask him questions. He would respond evenly, with one or two word phrases. If she was lucky, he might give her a full sentence.

"What I thought of a particular literary device, plot development, character," he explained as if he were talking to a small child.

Sakura's eyes widened. "You did that at thirteen?" she asked happily. "I don't think I could concoct such intelligent thoughts to write in a book now, much less when I was thirteen. If it were my thirteen-year-old self, there would just be scribbles of Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha written in the margins with big hearts."

She laughed and he quirked his lips up in an amused smile.

"What would your thoughts say now?" he asked casually, snapping the book closed and sliding downwards into the bed. She joined him, wrapping her arms around his waist again as his arm went comfortably around her head, his hand going to hold her shoulder. Once again, he allowed the contact. He was getting better at not automatically flinching away from her each time she touched him.

"Hmmm," Sakura mused playfully. "I'd probably write down how hungry I was. Or I would mock any medical inconsistencies in the book. Or perhaps I would write Mrs. Itachi Uchiha all over with hearts and scribbles."

She laughed again but it was cut off when his arm that had been wrapped around her shoulder tightened ever-so-slightly. Her eyes flew to his face automatically to find him regarding her with a serious expression. Suddenly, she felt self-conscious. Had she said something wrong? Perhaps the joke about being Mrs. Itachi Uchiha had been inappropriate. Of course he wouldn't want her joking about those things when he probably didn't feel as strongly for her as she did for him. For all she knew, she was just a good lay and some companionship to him. Subconsciously, she knew that wasn't true. She knew that she had to be more to him than _that_. But she didn't know for sure because he didn't tell her how he felt. She wasn't much better. It's not as if she had made some declaration of love and he'd rebuffed her. The silence that reigned after her joke-turned-disaster was tense and uncomfortable.

Sakura was about to apologize when Itachi interrupted her, breaking the silence. "You will leave tomorrow with the group from Konoha?" he asked quietly. His voice held tenseness to it that she had never heard before.

"Uhm," Sakura gulped. She coughed a bit, clearing her throat. "No. The council is still suspicious of me, I guess. So they want to make it look like a real rescue mission. Tsunade has a mission report and a team assigned. Tomorrow, I will return to the base with you. We'll spend the night and then the next morning we will go for a walk in order to make it look like we're 'switching bases.' The team will arrive, I'll exchange hands and probably create some mock-injuries on us, and then we'll head back. I've talked with Deidara and Kisame and they said it was alright."

Itachi's grip on her shoulder relaxed a bit. He had one more night with her, he thought to himself. There was still one more night for him to hold her, make love to her, and enjoy her presence in his life for just a little longer. He, in an uncharacteristic show of affection, he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Her eyes went wide for a moment before a soft smile graced her features.

"Let's go to sleep. It'll be a big day tomorrow," she said. Her eyes closed and she placed her head on his chest, listening to his even, healthy heart beating. As her mind drifted into the deepest realms, she was sure she heard him whisper 'I'll miss you' into her hair.

X

The darkness of pre-dawn was quiet and cold. Frost had dusted over the forest and Sakura shivered slightly in her Akatsuki cloak. Her soft footsteps, along with those of her companions, were barely audible as she made her way through Fire Country's forests. They were on their way to an abandon shack that Sakura had found to extract Orochimaru from Sasuke. Tsunade, along with a whole slew of guards, should be waiting for them by now.

Itachi was nervous. His face would never show it, but his body was rigid and he flinched every few moments. When Sakura's arm would brush against his inadvertently, his entire body would freeze for an instant. She looked at him understandingly, knowing that this would be incredibly difficult for both him and Sasuke. This would be the first time in fifteen years that they would see each other and Sasuke wouldn't attack – theoretically.

Kisame and Deidara padded behind the two lightly, their footsteps measured and strong. Sakura had chosen to bring them with just in case. There were still a lot of shinobi in Konoha that resented the elder Uchiha, and many of them wouldn't hesitate to kill him if ordered. Not that they could, Sakura thought to herself. However, this procedure would leave both her and Itachi completely drained of chakra, and it wouldn't hurt to have two extra sets of eyes guarding them. Additionally, Sakura suspected that Root may be present, and their goals were simple. Danzou did whatever he saw best in Konoha's interest. Like murdering an entire clan of people, Sakura thought bitterly.

As she got closer to the cottage, she began to flare her chakra signature a bit, just enough to inform whoever was at the cottage of their presence. A familiar chakra flickered back. It was Naruto's. Sakura's jaw clenched and heart tightened at the feeling. It had been way too long since she'd last even caught a glimpse of her best friend's face. Her gaze shifted apprehensively up to Itachi and then to Kisame and Deidara behind her. Apparently Tsunade was putting quite a bit of faith in the deal of unsteady, and very temporary, peace between the two groups.

As if understanding her apprehension, Itachi said quietly, "We will not attempt to take the kyuubi…tonight."

There was an unspoken promise that followed his sentence. The promise that they would be back for him, but Sakura couldn't help but feel a small bit of relief from his declaration.

Sakura let out an audible sigh of respite, her shoulders slumping as some of the tension that had built up within her released. They were getting fairly close to the cottage, so Sakura pulled off her Akatsuki cloak. When her three companions glanced at her questioningly, she almost laughed out loud.

"Don't think they'll take too kindly to me showing up in one of these, ne?" Sakura said with a low chuckle. She folded the cloak swiftly, throwing it at Deidara who shoved it in his back pack who scowled at her.

As they rounded one more clump of trees, Sakura felt a shift in the air. It was minute, almost invisible. But there was only an open field in front of them when there should have been a small, two room shack that looked as if were about to collapse at any moment. Slowly, she pressed a glowing green finger to her head. Itachi was doing the same, years of training in Konoha giving him the movements as if it was second nature. Both Deidara and Kisame looked confused, but Sakura moved to them quickly, pressing an index finger to each other their foreheads.

The dilapidated hut came into view, along with ten Konoha ANBU, Ino – her bright blue eyes showing with unshed tears at seeing her best friend for the first time in four months, the Hokage, Shizune, Kakashi, and a very disgruntled looking Uchiha Sasuke. Deidara's and Kisame's eyes widened since they had not sensed the genjutsu that had been cast over the area, but Sakura and Itachi just shared knowing looking.

Sakura turned back to face the group of Leaf shinobi standing in front of her. She recognized a lot of the masks indicating the ninja behind them – Genma, Sai, Yamato, Neji, Hinata, Shino, Lee, Tenten, and Shikamaru were all collected around the Hokage and Sasuke. However it was the misplaced mask of a toad that drew Sakura's attention.

Her heart burst with pride, sadness, longing, excitement, and so many more emotions when she saw the sunshine blond hair behind the mask. The ANBU pushed the mask up as a smiling mouth, imprinted whiskers, and finally shining cerulean eyes came into view. Sakura's feet were carrying her before she realized what was happening. Naruto was doing the same, pushing past Neji and Shikamaru before he broke out in a full scale run. They met somewhere in the middle of the clearing, his arms clamping around her shoulders and her hands dug into his back, clinging to him as if it were the last time she would see him.

That's when the tears broke free from her eyes. He hugged her tight, knowing that she didn't like it when people saw her cry. Sobs wracked through her body as she trembled fiercely in Naruto's arms. His black cloak was surely soaked through by now.

"I-I-I m-m-m-missed y-you so m-much," she sobbed quietly into his chest as a hiccup popped from her mouth. This entire time, all these months, she had been repressing just this. She knew that if she allowed herself to feel this longing pain that was burrowed deep within her, she would have lost her resolve to stay with the Akatsuki long ago. Naruto just squeezed tighter, his lips placing light kisses on the top of her head as his large hands ran through her pink hair. When had he gotten so tall?

A satisfied sigh escaped Naruto's lips as he squeezed her tight one more time. He said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "I missed you too, Sakura-chan. Now let's go fix up the teme so we can be a family again. Okay?"

She nodded weakly and pulled out of his embrace, wiping her tears on his cloak as she did so. Her eyes went to Sasuke, who was glaring at his stoic older brother with more hatred that she thought possible – it was palpable, radiating off of him in waves of displeasure. She turned her gaze to the ever-impassive Itachi, who flashed his eyes at her for the briefest of moments, and she swears that she could see the concern that flashed through them even though his gaze returned to his brother almost instantly.

Sakura grinned at him in response, and then grinned at Sasuke. "Hey, Sasuke, maybe you shouldn't use your laser vision to blow your brother's head up until _after _he helps save your life," she taunted. It was then that Sasuke turned his withering stare at her, but it softened the moment his eyes left his brother.

Almost everyone broke out into a nervous chuckle, thankful that some of the tension eased between the two groups. Sakura went up to the other shinobi and greeted them all with a hug, even Neji who buried his masked face into her hair. Ino gripped her so tightly that Shikamaru had to pry her off of Sakura with both hands. Lee then bound up to her, clasping her in a hug so tight that she was sure her ribs had broken, and yelled something about the her youthfulness and insisted on taking her on a date.

"It has been so long since I've seen you, my spring flower! You must accompany me on a date!" he exclaimed.

That's when Deidara and Kisame broke out into such raucous laughter that every person stopped and stared at them in awe at the fact that the Akatsuki could laugh. They seemed to be under the impression that because they were Akatsuki, they were less than human. They were demons sent from hell, and therefore, they could not laugh. However, it wasn't long for Naruto to join in the laughter, bringing Shizune, Tenten, Tsunade, Kakashi, Ino, and several of the other shinobi along with him. When Sakura turned a beaming grin to Itachi, she found him glaring holes in the back of Lee's head. Her smile got just a little larger as Itachi noticed her looking at him and quickly shifted his gaze. Was that jealousy she had sensed there? Lee, of all people…he decides he's going to be jealous of Lee?

Sakura laughed a little with them before she turned a serious gaze towards Tsunade, who cleared her throat. The laughter died down instantly within the group of shinobi, all eyes focusing on Tsunade.

"Kakashi, Naruto, Ino, Shizune, Shikamaru, Sakura, and I, along with Itachi will be the only ones allowed in the cottage while the procedure is taking place. You will all get along," Tsunade ordered clearly as she motioned to the other shinobi, including Deidara and Kisame. The shinobi from Konoha nodded and murmured their assent as they took positions around the hut to guard it.

Sakura led her group into the room, and cleared her throat lightly, her hands shaking with nervousness. This would be one hell of a procedure. Everybody, including Itachi, looked at her expectantly, waiting for their instructions. Sakura made eye contact with each person in the room. Finally, her eyes landed on Tsunade who was beaming with so much pride that Sakura could feel herself choking on it. It almost made her want to blush.

"Alright, Shikamaru we'll need you to use your shadow possession technique to hold Sasuke in place because he can't move during this procedure or I'll break concentration. Ino will be using her mind transfer jutsu at the end of the operation to make sure that all of Orochimaru's consciousness is removed from Sasuke. Itachi, you and I will be the ones entering his consciousness, but I'm going to be mostly guiding you through the procedure and making sure that Orochimaru is eradicated. Naruto and Kakashi are here in case something goes wrong – like if Sasuke's curse seal activates or if Orochimaru takes over. Shizune and Tsunade will be monitoring from a medical stand point since this procedure can be both physically and mentally straining," Sakura explained. Everyone nodded their heads, understanding their roles.

Sasuke sat down on a chair that Sakura had brought from the base. Sakura sat just in front of him so she could reach his head. Ino and Itachi sat slightly behind her, flanking her sides. "Each of you put a hand on one of my shoulders," Sakura commanded. Her voice sounded much more confident than she felt, but she needed to be strong right now. The two shinobi flanking her side did at they were told. Ino's grip was firm, yet quivering, telling Sakura that she was nervous. Itachi's hand was warm and strong, but she didn't need to feel him quiver to know that he was nervous.

Her hands went up and circled Sasuke's head. Her jade eyes went up to Kakashi and Naruto, who were on either side of Sasuke. Finally, her eyes found Sasuke's, and she gave him the smallest smile of encouragement as his crimson orbs closed.

"Let's do this."

X

Outside, everybody had been silent for several hours. Morning was well underway, and Deidara calculated that the steady flow of both Sakura's and Itachi's chakra had been emitting from the small hut for about three hours now. He was unsure of how long this was supposed to take, but he was _bored_. About an hour ago, the usually tightly-regimented Konoha ANBU had lost all sense of formality.

Pulling their masks off, they began to talk lazily among themselves, joking and laughing as if two members of the Akatsuki weren't in their midst. It must have been Sakura's attitude towards Kisame and Deidara. Deidara knew for a fact that it was easier to trust people with Sakura around. If she wasn't apprehensive about a person, then nobody else was. It seemed to be the way with the Konoha shinobi as well since they were now regarding Kisame and Deidara with little more than slight wariness now.

Deidara huffed. They were the Akatsuki, for crying out loud! They should be shaking in their stupid shinobi sandals! Perhaps laughing at Sakura when the strange boy with the bowl cut begged her for a date didn't help either, he supposed. Kisame was snoring, leaning against the tree next to him. He didn't seem to have too many reservations about getting comfortable in front of the Leaf-nin either if he was willing to fall asleep.

Deidara rolled his eyes and glanced up in the tree above him. One of the men who had brought Sakura's scrolls was up there, propped up on a branch. It took a few moments for Deidara to register the sketch pad in the boy's hands. Now his interest was officially peaked. Standing up and brushing the dirt off that had accumulated on his pants, he jumped into the tree on a branch adjacent to the one that the shinobi was sitting on.

Sai barely turned to look at him, his eyes fixed on the drawing in his hands as his charcoal spread lightly over the paper.

"You're Deidara," he said evenly, a small, yet disturbingly fake smile gracing his features. "I'm Sai."

"I know, yeah," Deidara replied instantly. Sai finally turned to look up at him, his features slightly confused. "Sakura talked about you," he explained further. A fond smile crossed Sai's lips, and Deidara saw emotion in his inky black orbs for the first time. When Sai didn't respond, Deidara continued, "She said you're an amazing artist. She would bring you up when I talked about art a lot, yeah. She said that she thought you had the perfect view on art, yeah, but she wouldn't tell me what it was."

Sai gave looked at him once more before returning his attention back to the charcoal drawing in front of him. His hands moved with practiced ease over the surface of the white paper. "Ugly and I spent a lot of time speaking of art when we began my behavior therapy. Art was one of the few subjects that she said I felt emotions towards, so we spent many hours discussing the subject. We even talked about you and your former partner, Sasori, and your individual views on art. You believe in art at the moment, and Sasori believed in art that lasted forever. I believe in capturing an explosive moment – whether it be physically or emotionally important – on paper, and keeping it forever. That is my view on art," he supplied evenly.

Kisame had woken up and jumped into the tree by Deidara just in time to see Deidara's jaw drop, his mouth forming an 'o', and looking as if his head just exploded. Finally, after sputtering a bit, trying to grasp what this particular person's view of art was, he asked, "What're you drawing now, yeah?"

Sai held up the photo and Kisame nearly fell of the tree in shock. On the paper, in black and white, was a rendition of Itachi. Except it wasn't the impassive, empathetic Uchiha that they knew; instead, on the paper, was a portrait of Itachi that was so lifelike, Kisame felt the need to touch it to make sure it wasn't Itachi himself. The entire picture was an amazing rendition, down to the small frown that plastered the Uchiha's features to the way he held his head.

However, Kisame and Deidara were staring at the look that Sai had captured in the Uchiha's eyes. They were soft, caring, and affectionate, even behind the tomoe of the Sharingan. The way his head was tilted slightly made it look as if the Itachi in the drawing was looking at a fine piece of art, a precious item. How, Deidara wondered, could anybody be so talented at capturing emotions in somebodies eyes, only using charcoal?

"Say…Sai-san…when did you see Itachi looking like this?" Kisame finally asked after a few moments of studying the piece. Deidara just seemed lost for words, his blue orbs the shape of plates, looking as if they were about to burst from their sockets.

"I saw the traitor looking like this when he glanced at Ugly. It was…emotionally explosive…so I decided to draw it before I forgot what it looked like. You see, I wish to find out what emotion this is in his eyes because I can't place it. I don't think I've ever read about such a look, but it makes my stomach churn and I can't decide if it's uncomfortable," Sai explained. Deidara and Kisame were slightly confused, but Itachi had explained ANBU Root and their emotionally-draining ways, so they kept their questions to themselves. "I was planning on asking the Uchiha traitor…the older one…when he finished with his defector younger brother."

Deidara just shook his head while Kisame snorted. After convincing Sai _not_ to ask Itachi that, to which they received several questions as to _why _he shouldn't, they jumped back down to the forest floor.

Kisame let out a hearty laugh. In a whisper that only Deidara could hear, he asked with another laugh, "You could recognize that emotion in Itachi's eyes, couldn't you Deidara?"

"Yeah," Deidara replied evenly, his face cracking in a smile. "Itachi-_kun_ is in love."

X

Several hours later, just past three in the afternoon, the door to the small hut opened with the shinobi that had been present stumbling out. Every one of them looked tired and overwhelmed with what must have been an incredibly emotional experience. Kakashi helped throw an unconscious Sasuke over Naruto's back.

He looked at Sakura who was swaying warily in her chair, looking as if she might vomit. "Sakura?" he called.

Her half-lidded eyes snapped open and she looked around. Quickly realizing that she and Kakashi were the only ones in the room, she jumped up. However, her legs were like jello and she swayed lightly. "I'm fine," she said, her voice quivering.

The whole ordeal had been painfully emotional. Forcing Orochimaru out of Sasuke's conscious and destroying him was more difficult than in sounded in theory, and it sounded plenty challenging. Itachi had done most of the work. Once, about halfway through, Sasuke had lost control and tried to kill Sakura. Naruto and Kakashi had restrained him, getting his curse seal to recede before Sakura continued.

Overall, it had been eight hours of hell. But it was over. Orochimaru was dead, gone, completely. Tsunade had also announced, when the procedure had been completed, that two ANBU squads were sent out to kill Kabuto, and they succeeded. Therefore, the threat of Orochimaru and his protégé was officially quelled.

Kakashi slung one of Sakura's arms over his tall shoulder and lifted her under her knees so he was carrying her body as if it were a feather. When the exited the cabin, Sakura had to bury her face into his chest because the sun was so bright despite the cool winter chill.

"You look like hell, yeah," Deidara exclaimed, jumping in front of Kakashi and Sakura the moment they were outside the cabin. Sakura stuck a lazy tongue out at him. Deidara held his arms out to Sakura. "I'm going to carry you ho-" he stopped, a sad look adorning his features suddenly. It was gone before anybody could register what he was saying, and he continued, "Back to the base, yeah."

Kakashi's grip around her tightened, but Sakura pat his arms lightly. "It's okay, Kakashi-sensei. I'll see you tomorrow," Sakura assured. Kakashi tentatively shifted Sakura into Deidara's hold, and ruffled her head lovingly.

After several emotional goodbyes, Sakura assuring everybody that she would see them the following day, and a few more tears, the two groups departed. Deidara carried Sakura on his back the entire way, while Itachi was able to walk by himself. However, every few minutes he would stumble and Kisame would appear by his side to make sure he wouldn't fall. When they arrived back home, Deidara dropped an emotionally and physically exhausted Sakura into her bed.

Itachi retired to his room to sleep as well. Sakura couldn't think about what would happen tomorrow. A mix of emotions pulled so tightly within her, in so many different directions, that she felt as if her entire person was tearing in two. Pulling herself into the fetal position, she allowed her mind to blank as unconsciousness from chakra-exhaustion overcame her.

Several hours later, her eyes peeled open. She wasn't nearly done sleeping yet, but a knock on her door caused her head to turn. Itachi stood there, his body slumped dejectedly, dark circles under his eyes. His stress lines were deeper, longer, and blunter. His frizzled hair and wary look, coupled with his gloomy posture, made him look twenty years older than he really was.

"Itachi?" she asked warily. Pulling herself up so she was propped on her hands, she got a better look at him, and the look in his dark onyx orbs took her breath away. His face was desperate, his eyes were desperate, and it made her shiver. And then something happened that she had never expected, anticipated, or fathomed happening in her entire life. Uchiha Itachi pleaded. "Don't go," he murmured just loud enough so Sakura could hear.

"Please," he stated again, a little louder this time, his despondency becoming a little more palpable and real.

"Don't go."

* * *

AN: Alright, there is that chapter. I think we're looking at 4ish more content chapters and then an epilogue. The epilogue, by the way, is almost completely written. I was feeling angsty and felt the need to write it, so that's mostly finished.

I had some real trouble writing the scene where they were actually inside Sasuke's head, fighting Orochimaru, so I decided to forgo it. The best I got from trying to put that scene to print was second-rate at best, and I didn't want to put something in there that was slightly confused, rushed, and poorly written. So I made the decision to take it out and lightly describe it instead. Perhaps some epiphany will come to me and I'll be able to add it in later.

Alright, for anybody who reads my other stories, you can expect a chapter for the First time by Saturday night, and a chapter for In Order to Heal by Sunday. That's saying that I write on schedule. However, I very rarely to anything to schedule so don't set the bar too high. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please review! They make me happy!


	17. Distant Star

AN: This chapter was a lot of fun to write. In fact, it was the idea for this chapter that inspired the entire story. I hope you like it because it's different than anything I've done before.

Please review and let me know how I did!

Thanks!

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 17: Distant Star**

* * *

_"Sometimes when I look at you, I feel I'm gazing at a distant star.  
It's dazzling, but the light is from tens of thousands of years ago.  
Maybe the star doesn't even exist any more. Yet sometimes that light seems more real to me than anything."  
― Haruki Murakami, South of the Border, West of the Sun_

* * *

Itachi was confused and groggy when he woke up, that was something out of the ordinary already, because something was missing. Something very warm and very pink was missing from his bed. Slowly, he opened his eyes to confirm that, yes, Haruno Sakura was not in bed with him. One of his hands reached out and stroked the area where Sakura usually slept only to discover that it was cold, meaning she had left quite some time before. As he groggily sat up, he came to another realization.

He was naked.

Well that seemed to make sense as well. Itachi knew the answer he would receive from Sakura the night before when he had gone to her. He had known that she could never stay with him when she had all of those people who loved her back home. The words of a desperate man escaped him when he pleaded with her to stay, and she had cried when he asked. Then, he found himself crying as well when she told him exactly what he had expected to hear: she told him she had to go home. For the first time in almost eleven years, Uchiha Itachi shed tears. Her friends needed her, her village needed her, Sasuke needed her. How could he possibly argue with that?

What else do you do when your reason for existing is leaving your life?

Well, if you're Uchiha Itachi, you cry a little, and then you make love to her like you've never have. You put all of your emotions into that because you don't know how to verbalize your feelings yet. For your entire life, you have stunted your feelings in order to ignore the constant pain that seems to seep into every day, so you don't know how to tell the woman you care about most in this world that you love her. They say that actions speak louder than words, so he had showed her how much he cared for her in his actions.

As his vision focused, Itachi found a scroll sitting on the bedside table, his name imprinted in Sakura's loopy handwriting on the outside. He glanced around the room once and soon discovered that all of her possessions were gone – only the solitary bag he kept with him at all times was in the room now. Not really wanting to know what it said, Itachi pulled the seal on the scroll apart and unraveled it to find a letter. A letter to him.

_Dear Itachi,_

_I guess I should start with this: I'm gone. I've asked Deidara and Kisame to take me to the Leaf shinobi rendezvous point without you._

How could he have not felt everybody waking up and leaving for the day? He would have been able to sense that. He usually always woke up when Sakura even stirred in her sleep.

_Why, you may ask?_

_Well, first I'll say that I injected a sleeping serum into your bloodstream this morning. That's why you didn't wake up. I knew you would have wanted to come with, and you couldn't come with to this._

Well, that explained it.

_Because if you came, I would have never been able to leave you – especially after last night. If you came with, I would have found another reason to stay. I can't really do that at this point, can I? I suppose not. We always knew that our time together was temporary. We never really said it, but I feel like it was always implied, right? _

_Well, I'm pretty stubborn and I find ways to get what I want. If you haven't figured this out by now, then you don't know me as well as you'd like to think you do. So, I want you. And I get what I want, and I'm going to do whatever I can in my power to make it so we can be together. _

_As Naruto would say, that's a promise of a lifetime._

_I really wanted to say this to your face, but I'm a big fat chicken and I was afraid you wouldn't say it back, but I don't have to worry about that on paper, now do I?_

_So here it is:_

_I'm going to miss you, Uchiha Itachi. And I love you._

_Love always, _

_Haruno Sakura_

_P.S. I stole some of your clothes to wear to sleep. They're more comfortable than my sleepwear, and I know you liked it when I wore your clothes._

Itachi read over the letter three more times before finally committing it perfectly to memory. Slowly, he lowered it and exhaled a breath he was sure he had held the entire time. She was gone, but not for good. Was she really that sure of herself, or was she just that naïve? He hoped, fully and truly, that it was the former and not the latter. Standing up from bed, he pulled on his boxers and his jounin pants, quickly realizing that his shirt was gone, and walked out of the room towards the kitchen.

Just as he entered, the front door to the base opened at Kisame and Deidara walked in. He should have been angry, he should have been furious with them, but he wasn't. Kisame never looked more upset or sad, a frown plastered on his face, and Deidara's eyes were red and puffy as if he had been crying. Sometimes it was hard to remember that they weren't just the Akatsuki: most feared organization in the world, but they were human, too.

X

Sakura walked slowly down the corridors of the prison, a confused Tsunade in tow. The moment that she had stepped inside Konoha's borders, 'rescue team' following her quietly, she made to see Tsunade because there was something that she should know. Moving gracefully down to Sasuke's cell, she opened the door to find him reading a book he had been allowed. She gave him a smile before pulling Tsunade into the room and closing the door. As she pulled out the scroll that she had stolen from Itachi's bag, the one he kept with him all the time, she studied the old ANBU seal wearily. Resolutely, she looked from Sasuke to Tsunade and opened the scroll.

"Let's have a chat."

* * *

One week after Sakura's departure:

Itachi, Deidara, and Kisame sat at the kitchen table quietly as they ate their breakfast. There really wasn't much to talk about anymore since nobody dared say the 'S' word. If someone even mentioned her in passing, Deidara would break out in tears and Itachi would glare at the offending person. Pein asked where she was and Deidara and Kisame had to tell him that she was rescued by a group of Leaf-nin. That was not a particularly fun conversation. Especially now that Uchiha Madara, aka Tobi, was in charge of the Akatsuki. Itachi had always suspected, but it wasn't confirmed until that moment.

As Itachi took steady bites of his miso soup, Sakura's favorite breakfast, he attempted not to miss her too much. He was an Akatsuki, and he knew forming connections with the girl was foolish and would only result in heartache. But he did it anyway because she was worth it.

His reverie was cut short by the sound of a small explosion and a shriek from Deidara. Itachi looked up to find quite a sight indeed. A slug the size of a cat had fallen onto Deidara's head. The slug looked around languidly before seeing Itachi, and slowly moved down Deidara and across the table to Itachi. That's when he noticed the purple ribbon tied around the slug with a scroll tucked in.

"From my master," the slug said lazily. Once Itachi took it, the slug bowed once and then disappeared in a puff of smoke after shooting a bit of slug acid at Deidara ('My master said that's for grabbing her butt when you left her with her rescuers'). Itachi unfurled the scroll to find familiar loopy handwriting sprawled across the page.

_Dear Itachi_

_We did it!_

_Sasuke has been exonerated of most of the charges. The only ones he couldn't get away with were the ones where he tried to kill me and the initial defection from the village. Which also came down to me being incapacitated on a bench after your stupid little brother thanked me. Tsunade, even though I begged, would not let him get away with that. Her punishment for those charges is quite entertaining as well. He has to be guarded at all times by someone of sannin strength, and he has to do training to integrate himself into the village with someone of sannin strength. Naruto volunteered, but Tsunade laughed out loud. There are only a few ninja in the village who are of sannin strength and that includes Naruto, Kakashi, Tsunade, and me. Kakashi is too busy with missions, Tsunade doesn't have time to do it herself, and there is no way we're letting Naruto train anybody. So, you guessed it:_

_I am now Uchiha Sasuke's sensei. _

_I thought he was going to pass out when she told him. I thought __**I **__was going to pass out when she announced the verdict. Luckily, she is letting him stay with Naruto at night because I do not want Sasuke living in my one-bedroom apartment with me. You never saw it, but it's tiny._

_I also think it's shishou's way of keeping me in the village. You know, there are a lot of creeps who want to kidnap young, innocent pink-haired kunoichi out there._

_Do you think I should make Sasuke call me Haruno-sensei? I'm pretty sure his big, fat Uchiha pride will splinter into a thousand pieces if I tried to make him do that. _

_Haha! I have the power. _

_With love, _

_Sakura_

_P.S. Fun fact of the day: There are 206 bones in the human body. I only have 205 because after a fight with Naruto and Kakashi, I had to remove a bone from my right pinky toe. It was tiny, but I'm still special like that._

X

Sakura sat on her bed reading through medical scroll after medical scroll. In her absence, Shizune had to take over the full weight of the hospital, and Sakura had missed a lot. It was nearly one in the morning when she heard the faintest of knockings on her window pane. When she looked up, she screamed first because there was a **huge black crow with a red eye** sitting on her balcony, tapping on her window. It took her a moment to calm down and realize whose crow that was before she moved to the window.

As she opened it, the crow held its foot out. Sakura opened her palm and the crow dropped a small scroll into her hand. She thanked the crow by giving it some of the crust of the sandwich she had been eating before it departed. She opened the scroll and instantly recognized the small, neat handwriting that spread perfectly down the page. Her heart fluttered a bit because she had not been expecting him to write her back. However, it made her happy that it did because Kami knew she would be lying if she claimed she didn't miss him. Sometimes his clothes just weren't enough to keep her warm and happy at night. Without further thought, she began reading the letter he had sent.

_Sakura,_

_The subtle jabs about 'creeps who want to kidnap young, innocent pink-haired kunoichi' and the Uchiha pride did not go unnoticed. They are also not appreciated. What is also not appreciated is injecting me with a sleeping drug the morning you were supposed to leave. I should have been able to say goodbye. _

_With that being said, yes, you should make Sasuke call you Haruno-sensei. You should also make him dress in a green spandex jumpsuit. I remember Maito Gai (and I assumed the young ninja who begged you for a date not too long ago was his protégé, Lee), and I think it would help to further destroy his pride. If you're looking to destroy his pride, that is. _

_Additionally, I know you took the scroll. _

_Also, please do __**not **__stop sending letters._ _Your absence is strongly felt._

_Sincerely, _

_Itachi_

_P.S. That is an interesting fact that I will now have stored in my brain forever. However, I wonder what important piece of information I just had to remove in order to make room for how many bones are in your body._

* * *

One month after Sakura's departure:

_Itachi,_

_I DID IT!_

_I passed the ANBU exams. _

_Stupid Naruto beat me to it during the last exams, but I did tell him to take them. He wouldn't have if, you know, I hadn't been held hostage for six months by the Akatsuki._

_But your training, along with Deidara and Kisame's, made the exams easier. I didn't use my Sharingan. I'm still keeping that a secret. I don't want all of the shinobi in Konoha to try to get that secret. Like you said, no one should have seen that scroll. That scroll should have never existed._

_I did tell Sasuke, though, and he is secretly helping me hone it like you did. You two are a lot alike. He's even growing his hair out a bit now and the resemblance is uncanny and a bit disturbing. I almost called him Itachi once._

_So Sasuke took the ANBU exams even though he is technically still a genin. Did you know you can do that? I never did. He passed as well. There's a shock (can you sense my sarcasm through my writing?). But me, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi are officially a team again even though Sasuke's on probation. He's allowed to go on missions with us since we could all technically overpower him. _

_Even though after a little sparring session, I doubt my abilities to do that. You see, we destroyed the forest of death during an ANBU training exercise. Like, it's gone. Sasuke blamed me since I was the one to hit the ground with my chakra enhanced fist but it was his fault for pissing me off so bad. Oops. _

_It's weird having Team Seven back together again. We even ended up getting the name of ANBU Squad Seven. But it's like no time has passed at all. Sasuke and Naruto still bicker and Kakashi still reads porn, and I still hit Naruto over the head when he whines about wanting ramen. It's like Team Seven: the later years. _

_It's weird, but it's nice. _

_Anyway, I'm assuming 'your absence is strongly felt' means that you miss me, and I miss you too. All three of you…but especially you._

_Love,_

_Sakura_

_P.S. Fun fact of the day: You and Shisui used to train a lot in a grove of trees not far from training ground three when you were younger. How do I know? I was training with Sai when I found a message carved into the tree: 'Shisui will always be better than Itachi' and right under it, 'No. Shisui is delusional from using his body flicker technique too much. You see, he left his brain behind once and now he can't find it, sending him into fits of delirium.' Your handwriting is the same on bark then it is on paper. And what kind of kid knows what delirium means?_

X

_Sakura,_

_Congratulations on your promotion. Konoha needed a new training ground anyways so you were doing them a favor. _

_I hope you're happy with your new team and that my foolish younger brother doesn't bother you too much. _

_Stay safe,_

_Itachi_

_P.S. I wrote that message when I was eight and Shisui was ten. I can't believe it's still there._

* * *

Two months after Sakura's departure:

_Itachi,_

_I did it again!_

_I have been named ambassador to Suna. It's a position I've wanted since I was sixteen. It also means I get my own personal guard. _

_You guessed it: Uchiha Sasuke is now my personal guard dog. Or should I say guard snake? _

_So I haven't been completely honest with you so far. I told Sasuke the truth behind the massacre. Just him and Tsunade, nobody else knows, so stop freaking out in that silent, Uchiha way that you freak out. In response, Sasuke tried to sneak out of the village so he could destroy it. I knew what he was going to do so I followed him, but this time he didn't leave me unconscious on a bench. _

_Oh no that's not what happened at all this time._

_This time, I beat his ass into the ground and dragged him back, refusing to heal him for being such an idiot. I told him that you did what you did so he wouldn't want to destroy his village, so that he would love his village, and that's why you kept it a secret. He never has looked more ashamed of himself. _

_Anyway, Tsunade felt it would be best to get Sasuke away from Konoha for a little while, so he's going to join me on my journey to Suna. My ambassadorship means I'll be spending a lot of time in Suna from here on out, and I'll be traveling to and from Konoha often._

_Love always,_

_Sakura_

_P.S. Fun fact of the day: your clothes don't smell like you anymore. It makes me sad._

X

_Sakura, _

…_Uchiha's do not 'freak out.' Not even silently._

_Itachi_

_P.S. In the second scroll that I sent with my bird this month, I have sealed some different clothes that smell like me although I don't understand why you want them. However, I do not plan to understand the female mind anytime soon. Just don't be sad anymore._

* * *

Three months after Sakura's departure:

_Dear Itachi,_

_Sasuke asked me to marry him._

_Also, Kankuro of the sand siblings is helping me learn puppetry. It's really cool and I'm actually pretty good at it. Temari taught me some wind jutsu, and Gaara is teaching me how to control sand. It's all in the name of good shinobi relations even though Gaara pisses me off so bad. We're both so stubborn. During our most recent argument, I punched his desk so hard that I destroyed it…oops. And the bastard just stayed so calm! It's like he's mocking me. _

_Anyway, I've taught them a lot of medical ninjutsu, and Sasuke is teaching a class in swordsmanship to some of the academy students here. It's really very funny to watch him with kids, but he's actually pretty good with them as long as I remind him not to lose his temper. One kid called him an asswipe once, and I was sure he was going to kill the eleven year old before I stepped in._

_Love, _

_Sakura_

_P.S. I said no, so you can stop your little silent freak out that I know you were having even though you deny that Uchiha's freak out. However, it did make Sasuke question me about my relationship with you, but I didn't know what to tell him. So I just hit him and told him to mind his own damned business._

X

_Sakura,_

_I like to think that I've been very generous with Sasuke my entire life, and you said I was one of the most selfless people you knew for what I did for him and my village. However, there are a few things I am not willing to share and I'm not willing to part with. _

_He can't have you._

_Unless, you openly express to me that you would rather have him. In that case, I would simply have to kill him. _

_Because he can't have you. _

_Itachi,_

_P.S. Happy birthday – I know I'm a bit early (four days, to be exact, yes I know your birthday – you marked it on every calendar in each of the bases you stayed at), but I don't know when I'd be able to write you again._

Sakura sat reading the letter on the edge of the window sill. The suite she shared with Sasuke that she had in Suna was very large and afforded her some privacy. Her heart fluttered at Itachi's possessiveness because there was one point in time that Sakura was sure that Itachi would give Sasuke whatever he wanted. It made her happy to know that she was worth keeping from him. It was then that she realized that she was not alone – Itachi's crow had never left the window sill. In his mouth was a small, square package hanging by a string.

Sakura took it from the crow and have him a bit of apple before he let out a loud caw and flew away into the night. The first thing Sakura noticed when she opened the package was a small, leather bound book. As she opened it she realized it was a copy of Itachi's favorite book – the one he had been reading the night before Orochimaru's extraction. She ran her hands over the new leather and smiled. As she leafed through the pages something else fell out.

It was a necklace with a long and silver chain that would easily fall deep down into her shirt, hiding it from view if need be. It was the pendant at the end that shocked her. A metal Uchiha fan that was no bigger than the pad of her thumb sat at the end of the silver chain. But something was wrong with it. She studied it for a moment before the realization dawned on her – the colors of the fan were inverted. The base of the fan was red while the actual fan portion, the top part, was white. The real Uchiha fan was the exact opposite.

It bothered her a bit that there was no other explanation as to what the necklace meant because surely, the necklace made would have never been kept if the jeweler had screwed it up. Her fingers grazed the necklace when she realized that something was inscribed on the back. She turned the pendant over to find kanji engraved into the back.

'Uchiha Mikoto.'

Sakura gasped, letting out a little shriek. This pendant belonged to Itachi's mother, and he was giving it to her? That had to be some kind of mistake.

She must not have been as quiet as she thought she was because a loud knock sounded on the door before Sasuke burst into the room, a slightly panicked look on his face.

"Sakura is everything alright?" he asked, panting. He must have jumped out of bed when he heard her yell out – his room was just next door. Looking her up and down, his posture relaxed a bit when he saw that she was unharmed. "Why'd you yell out? And what's that in your hand?"

Damn it; caught red handed.

"Uhm," she began as Sasuke drew closer. "It's a birthday gift."

"From?" he asked. Finally, he was standing next to the window, hovering over Sakura.

His eyes widened in recognition just as Sakura muttered, "Your brother."

Sakura dangled the chain and pendant in front of his face and he fingered the pendant a bit. His face remained impassive as he turned the chain over to trace the kanji of his mother's name on the back. His brow furrowed a bit as he studied the chain further, and Sakura began to grow uneasy. He was too silent – too contemplative. Finally, in a voice just above a whisper, he stated, "My brother is in love with you."

Sakura's eyes widened at the confession, not understanding how one chain could possibly mean so much. "Sasuke, what is this necklace? Is…is that what it means?" she croaked out. "Why are the colors inverted?"

"He didn't explain?" Sasuke asked evenly, his gaze never leaving the chain. He sighed before taking a seat on the window ledge next to Sakura. "This is the necklace of star-crossed lovers."

"The…what?" Sakura sputtered in response, grabbing the chain back from Sasuke and examining it for further clues. Where the hell did it say that?

Sasuke chuckled a bit, but it sounded forced. However, he continued, "It was mine and Itachi's favorite story growing up. My mother would always tell it to us when father would leave on a long mission. The story goes that generations ago, an Uchiha male was in love with a woman outside of the clan, and she was a civilian, not a shinobi. The Uchiha clan was big on inter-clan marriage, and if you didn't marry an Uchiha, then you had to pick a pretty strong kunoichi instead. Anyway, this guy was in love with this woman but he could never marry her. Instead, the clan elders forced him into an arranged marriage, which also weren't that uncommon. So, in order to tell the woman that he would always love her and that she would always have his heart, he had a necklace made for her of the Uchiha fan, except the colors were inverted. That way, she would always know of his love for her.

"The women in my clan called the necklaces the necklace of star-crossed lovers. That's just the legend behind the jewelry, but there's probably some truth to it. When I was young, the necklaces were used by the men of my clan who were going to war or going on long missions to tell their wives or girlfriends that they loved them. My father got this necklace made for my mother when the Third Shinobi World War started. Itachi must have kept it all these years. If he's giving it to you, it means that he's in love with you and you'll always have his heart…"

Sasuke trailed off for a moment and looked out the window, not focusing on anything in particular. Sakura was breathless at the story and the conclusions it drew. Itachi was not a verbal person – he didn't express himself through words, but through actions. This was perhaps the biggest declaration of love that Itachi would ever express to her, and Sakura found it hard to breathe. When she looked up at Sasuke again, she could see the slight disappointment in his eyes. It had only been a few days since his marriage proposal, and although he admitted that it was mostly because she was the only kunoichi that he could tolerate and tolerated him, there was still some lingering sadness to his onyx eyes. "Sasuke…" she trailed.

His eyes snapped to hers and turned impassive immediately. "He deserves to be happy, and he deserves someone like you," he finally stated. Sakura cheeks tinged pink at the unexpected compliment. This entire conversation was unexpected – because who knew that Uchiha Sasuke could talk so much – and it was making her anxious. Plus, she missed Itachi, and now she wanted nothing more than to find him and kiss him senseless. Sasuke wrinkled his nose a bit, "Gross, my brother has hormones."

Sakura laughed out loud as she slipped the necklace over her neck.

* * *

Four months after Sakura's departure:

_Itachi,_

_I'm sure you heard about Jiraiya's death at the hands of Pein. _

_Naruto has gone off to train somewhere – my best friend is gone again. I'm in Konoha for a short while with Sasuke for the funeral, but we'll be heading back to Suna soon. _

_Shishou is taking everything really hard. It doesn't help that Naruto blames her, but it was Jiraiya's choice, I guess. I couldn't imagine what I would do if Tsunade died. I don't know what I would do with myself…_

_I asked Sasuke if he was sad when Orochimaru died and he laughed. Bastard._

_On a happier note, Sasuke explained the meaning of your gifts to me. Wow, just wow. I'm so happy I can't even express it in words. Sasuke told me the story behind the necklace and I'm honored by its importance and significance. It also made me speechless and turned me into a stuttering fool for a while, making Sasuke laugh at me. He seems to be over the idea of marrying me since you have 'laid your claim' as he put it (I'll ignore the chauvinistic way he worded it since it sort of made me happy for him to recognize me as yours). That being said, Sasuke is more attentive and protective as ever. He's turned from a guard dog into a rabid guard dog. He says that it's the least he can do – protect me for you because you can't be here. It's one of the ways he's trying to honor your sacrifice. He just scoffs every time I say I don't need protecting._

_I'm sad and angry but happy all at the same time. Does that make sense?_

_Love always,_

_Sakura_

_P.S. Fun Fact of the day: your crow summon likes me better. I give him apples._

X

Itachi walked slowly with Kisame and Deidara flanking either side. They were changing bases since they had spent too much time at the one in Wind Country. Instead, they made their way invisibly through River Country on their way south to the base in Tea Country. Itachi automatically thought of Sakura and how that was the first base he had brought her to after she had been captured. Things were so different back then. It was shocking to hear that Jiraiya had attempted to infiltrate the Akatsuki base in Ame and that he had been killed because of it. Of course, nobody knew that Itachi had been leaking information to the toad sannin all these years. It was still a pity and a loss of a great shinobi. He could understand Sakura's hurt as well as Naruto's.

Shisui had been Itachi's first teacher and his best friend. When he died, a looming weight of sadness and depression settled firmly over Itachi's chest and shoulders that never quite seemed to evaporate. Sometimes it would lessen and sometimes it would become heavier, but it was always there if Itachi ever thought about it.

His internal thoughts were cut off by the imperceptible stiffening of both Kisame and Deidara. How had they not noticed two Leaf ANBU walking down the same path as them?

Apparently the Leaf ANBU noticed them at the same time because they stopped dead in their tracks as well. Both of their chakras had been masked, and they had been walking in complete silence, indicating why nobody had heard them coming around the corner of a large grove of trees. However they were now only ten meters away from the Akatsuki. The taller of the two ANBU stiffened and took a half-step in front of the smaller one. To Itachi's utter surprise, the smaller one threw her head back and laughed loudly. It was a very, very familiar laugh – one that warmed his heart the instant it escaped her mouth.

"Ne, Sasuke, don't you recognize your own brother?" Sakura said as she pushed her feline shaped mask up, revealing a devilish grin. Sasuke followed suit, his face impassive, but his eyes were anxious. Sakura gave him a reassuring, understanding smile.

Itachi, for one, could not believe it. What were the chances that they would run into Sasuke and Sakura here? Hadn't she mentioned she would be travelling back to Suna sometime this week? Yes, she had, hadn't she?

"Sakura-chan!" Deidara cried out from behind him, and the blond man bound towards her. Sasuke stiffened and was about to intercept Deidara when Sakura shoved past him, allowing him to engulf her in a hug. "We've missed you, yeah!"

Sakura's tinkling laughter filled the air as Deidara swung her around. Even Kisame had moved to greet the female, ruffling her short pink hair. It was shorter now, and Itachi surmised she must have cut it when she returned home. "I've missed you all as well," Sakura replied genuinely, smiling brightly at the two Akatsuki in front of her.

Itachi stayed rooted to his spot, his eyes never leaving her. For a moment, he chanced a look at Sasuke who was watching Deidara and Kisame intently. Sakura's summation of 'rabid guard dog' didn't seem to be too much of an exaggeration. His blood-red eyes were filled with confusion at the scene in front of him – Sakura hugging two of the most notorious criminals known to man, and the anxiety of seeing his brother since he had learned the truth was also clearly written across his face. Sasuke must have noticed Itachi's gaze because he looked up to meet Itachi's eyes. Two sets of crimson orbs clashed for a moment before Sasuke turned away to watch Sakura once more.

"C'mon guys. Maybe this isn't time for a family reunion," Sakura interjected, her gaze darting between Itachi and Sasuke. When her eyes finally met Itachi's, a wide smile stretched across her face. The look in Itachi's eyes told Sakura he did not just want a hug from her. She tilted her head a little, indicating they should find somewhere more private to reunite.

When she bolted from the scene suddenly, Itachi hot on her trail, Sasuke made a move to follow. Kisame grabbed him by his black ANBU cloak and shook his head. "You may not want to follow them, kid," he muttered with a mischievous smile. "You may not like what you see."

Sasuke shot him a dirty look but folded his arms in resignation. Sitting down by a tree, he closed his eyes in order to meditate while waiting for Sakura to return.

Itachi pushed her up against a boulder, and her legs automatically wrapped around his lean hips, grinding into him sensually. They were far enough away from the path so nobody would hear their…conversation. As his lips crashed down to meet hers in a frenzied kiss, he began ripping off her gray ANBU armor. They pulled apart enough for him to pull her shirt and armor off in one movement before his lips were moving back down to hers.

Her fingernails were latched into his shoulders, that plus his body tightly pressed against hers was the only thing keeping her from sliding to the ground. "I've missed you," she whispered as his lips traced lines down her jaw in a series of open-mouthed kissed. Suddenly she stiffened, and her hands pressed against his chest, moving him back. Chest heaving from their passionate kisses, she stared at him for a moment. Her eyes were hard, yet sad when she met his crimson gaze. In a tremulous voice, she whimpered, "You know that I have to go after this. You know that…"

"That you have to continue onto Suna with Sasuke? Yes." Itachi finally answered. It was the first time he had spoken since reuniting with her. It had been four months since he'd seen her last and he had missed her more than he could ever say. His fingers traced the silver chain that hung on her exposed neck, down to where it fell between her breasts under her chest bindings. Slowly, he lifted the pendant that hung there and traced his mother's name. He smirked a bit, to hide his pain at their inevitable separation, but said, "I'm still waiting for that plan of yours to come through. The one where we get to be together."

Sakura's eyes softened before taking on another playful smile that reached her eyes. "Is that what you want?" she asked. Although her face was lively, he could hear the weight of the words she said in her voice. _Do you really want to be with me?_

"Of course," he replied.

"You asked for it, then," she replied before locking her arms behind his head and bringing it down to crash his lips into hers.

Just over a half an hour later, Sakura and Itachi returned to the path where they left their teammates. They found a snickering Kisame and Deidara and a very, very disturbed Sasuke. Sasuke stood up to greet them, and he looked at his brother fully for the first time.

"Sasuke," Itachi greeted.

"Ita-"Sasuke stopped. With a nod of his head, he greeted, "Aniki."

The weight of that one word crashed down on Itachi. His brother had not called him that since the night of the massacre when he was begging Itachi to explain why he had killed his entire family. It was Sasuke's small way of telling him he was forgiven. It was real progress with his brother. Of course, one day, they would have to discuss what happened all those years ago, but for now that one word was enough for Itachi. Words were lost to him, so he just nodded back and walked towards Sakura. He raised his hand and it landed softly on the side of her head, his thumb running affectionately next to her eye. Her eyes were aglow with joy and happiness, making his chest swell. His arm fell and he gave her a small smile. With that, the group departed, heading in separate directions.

* * *

Five and a half months after Sakura's departure:

A familiar slug landed on Deidara once again, as it always did. It slid down the couch and made its way to Itachi. The three Akatsuki had been sitting in the front room of the Akatsuki base. This time, there were three scrolls tucked into the ribbon that was tied around the slug's neck. Opening the letter first, his eyes scanned through the contents as Deidara cursed the slug while it hissed something vial back in response. It was its master's summon in that is replicated Sakura's fiery personality with a vengeance.

_Itachi, _

_I hope you're ready because things are about to get crazy. Konoha wants retribution for Jiraiya's death. That's all I can tell you._

_For now, I'm going to be going on my second S-class mission. The first one was four years ago when I killed Sasori and rescued Gaara from the Akatsuki's evil clutches. _

_Mwahahahah. _

_Oh, your birthday is almost here. I wasn't sure what to get you. I asked Sasuke what to get you and he laughed. It's weird, but Sasuke actually does laugh now. It's nice. He never did that before. He said I probably knew you better than anybody else on the entire planet. I suppose that's true, isn't it?_

_Well if I know you, you'd want something pragmatic that you could use. So I brewed you what should be a six months' supply of eye drops for your eyes. Use it!_

_Also, I included something a little sentimental. I thought it would do you good to see Sasuke smiling for once – at least the closest he gets to a smile. It should show you that you've done the right things in your life for your brother. I hope you know that. _

_I'll be seeing you soon. _

_That's a promise (of a lifetime)._

_Love always, _

_Sakura_

It didn't go past Itachi's notice that she had forgone her usual 'P.S.' message. Perhaps she was just too busy to write it. It seemed that she was facing a rather dangerous mission in her near future. Hopefully Sasuke would be going along with her. It would do a great deal to calm Itachi's nerves for her if he knew that Sasuke was by her side, protecting her. However, she hadn't included that information in her message, but it appeared that Sasuke went with her wherever she went. Surely he would lobby to be on this mission as well.

Itachi took one of the other scrolls and opened it. When he unfastened it, there was a seal in place. After releasing it, a small brown box filled with several vials was in it. Those must be the eye drops. He unsealed the other scroll. There, in the middle of the scroll, was a small leather bound book. It was his gift to Sakura for her nineteenth birthday. He opened the book to the first page. In big, loopy handwriting were the words, 'Mrs. Uchiha Itachi' with a large heart around it. He leafed through the pages to find the words written in the margins of almost every page with large hearts and scribbles. For the first time in a long time, he chuckled out loud at her antics.

Kisame gave him a pointed look. "You're insufferable every damn day except the days you get letters from her," he remarked seriously, but he couldn't stop the grin from spreading beneath the serious façade.

Itachi shrugged noncommittally in response. As he reached the last page, he noticed a small envelope wedged into the spine of the book. On the outside it said 'I want my book back, by the way.'

He opened the envelope and pulled out a photograph. This is what she meant by seeing Sasuke smile. It was a photo of Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura had her usual bright grin that reached all the way to her apple eyes, and she was leaning into Sasuke a bit to fit into the frame of the photo. Sasuke was merely smirking while he gave the rosette a sidelong glance. They seemed to be out to dinner and were probably in Suna. If Itachi's hunch was correct, the Kazekage was sitting next to Sakura because he could make out the corner of his robes in the picture.

Another small smile splayed across his features. He turned the photo over and was surprised to find writing there.

'P.S. Answer the door'

As if planned, there was a knock at the front door. Wait a moment…who knocked on the front door of an Akatsuki hideout? There were hundreds of traps and jutsu erected so nobody could find this hideout…unless they had been there before. Itachi stood up, anticipation and adrenaline coursing through his veins while Kisame and Deidara joined him at the front door to the hideout. As he opened the door slowly, he was disappointed to find it was not Sakura standing there – this ninja was much too tall.

He also had silver hair, his only visible eye crinkling into what seemed to be a smile, and a bright orange book plastered in front of his face.

Hatake Kakashi was standing at the threshold of an Akatsuki hideout with nearly seven ANBU Black Ops members behind him. He greeted Itachi and the other two Akatsuki cheerily with a wave.

"Yo."

* * *

AN: This chapter posed a few purposes. I wanted to move the story along while strengthening Itachi and Sakura's relationship. I think they've grown closer while they were apart then when they were together.

I needed to do this in one chapter, and I hope that it was effective.

Also, I'm introducing a very big part of the sequel: Sasuke's relationship with Sakura. No, there will not be a love triangle. When Itachi gave Sakura the necklace, Sasuke took the role of protective brother to Sakura. They also spent the better part of six months together and now Sasuke is one of Sakura's most trusted friends. This is _very_ important, as you will see in the sequel and in the epilogue as well.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We are looking at three more chapters plus an epilogue for this story. I've also begun editing chapters 1-5. Yay!

Please review!


	18. Bent and Broken

AN: Some of you may have noticed I've changed quite a bit about this story. I've been working hard on edits, and I'm happy to say I only have three more chapters to revise, 2, 3, and 4. I'm planning on redoing certain scenes – like the discovering the Sharingan and Orochimaru extraction – all scenes I've had trouble writing in the past. I'll let you know when I do that. I've posted the quotes that I've wanted to at the beginning of each chapter, and I've also renamed the chapters based off of these quotes like I've wanted to. Thank you to those who have read this story from the beginning and haven't given up on it after reading that horrid first chapter. The new first chapter is a little more detailed, and has been edited. I'm hoping to get the second chapter edited and posted by tomorrow. Really guys, thank you so much for sticking with me. I know it's been a bit of a roller coaster through this story.

Please review and I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 18: Bent and Broken**

* * *

"_Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape." _

― _Charles Dickens, Great Expectations_

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._ _Tap. _

Her leg jittered nervously, impatiently, as she observed the scene before her. It was a bad, annoying habit she had picked up from Shizune while working with her in the hospital. The habit drove people around her completely insane. At least, it drove Sasuke insane. He was the only one who was almost constantly around her recently anyway – like a guard dog set to attack. If it wasn't so damn annoying, it would be endearing. Memories of her youth filled her impatient brain while she waited for Gaara to finish his task.

Now that she reflected on Sasuke's overprotective attitude, she remembered a time when she would have swooned at the Uchiha's care for her person. That was when she was week though. Now she was perfectly capable of taking care of her damn self. But Sasuke had a personal mission he now had to complete. Honor and protect that which his dear aniki finds precious – first and foremost on the list, her. So the Uchiha had been a bit of a constant presence in her life since the day that Sasuke had learned the truth about the death of his clan. While he still could not find it within himself to completely forgive his brother, and Sakura knew it would be a long time before he could, Sasuke did his best to honor his brother's sacrifices since most of the losses were for him.

Her foot went to hit the ground once again when a small swirl of sand clamped her defenseless foot down to the ground forcefully. Eyelids narrowing at the challenge, she sent a withering stare in the direction of the Kazekage who didn't even bother to turn to look at her. She was sure he could feel her burning countenance towards him at the moment anyway. Humph. It wasn't her fault it was taking him _so _long to finish up. For such an impatient man, he sure did take his time with things. Shaking her head, she shoved out such traitorous thoughts. Gaara was working very hard on an incredibly important task.

Perhaps it was because she was so close. Everything she had been working on the past six months was coming to fruition. Soon, everything would fall into place. At least, theoretically it would. However, her treacherous mind was once again forming thoughts of a different nature. When had anything really gone her way? A firm, unyielding part of her stated that she would have to work much harder to get peace and balance restored to her life. Nothing went easy for her, and it was a fool's hope to think that everything would be peachy the second her fist connected with the behemoth of a statue in front of her.

The large statue that stood in front of them, several meters tall, was smothering and intimidating. She had heard stories of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the statue used to seal the bijuu, but she had never seen it up close. The large brown, decaying statue was bound in the feet, holding the humanoid form as it had once held the ten tails. When Sakura had first caught a glimpse of the monstrous statue, she had lost all ability to breathe. Even Gaara glared at it with contempt. Of course, he had seen the statue once before – the day that he died.

Gaara's face remained impassive as he held out another container as he forced another bijuu out of the statue and into a very powerful sealing scroll. Sakura smirked. Pein would have a conniption fit when he found out that a few Leaf and Sand nin had found their precious statue and stole the all the bijuu the Akatsuki had managed to capture. It had only taken them a matter of months to formulate the plan and execute it when it had taken years for the Akatsuki to get this far. That's what he gets for offering a Leaf kunoichi passage into their precious organization. Nobody bothered her when she stalked around the bases at night when she had claimed to be looking for food. Although many times this was true, she was just hungry, other times she stole her way into rooms she ought not to be in. But damn, it had paid off big time.

"Taichou," a voice said suddenly from next to her. Sakura could hear the small, sarcastic sneer that came from that word. The person behind the mask next to her clearly didn't like calling her captain, but protocol required it. Really, she wouldn't have made him call her that, but discomfiting one of her closest friends was now a favorite past time. Her focus had been so contemplative on their situation that she hadn't heard or felt Sasuke fall down in place next to her. Her head tilted in a nod from behind her ANBU mask. "The Sand siblings, along with Team Hyuuga, have secured the perimeter. We merely need to wait for the extraction to complete and then you may finish your part of the mission."

"He only has one left," Sakura replied evenly. It was her first mission as a captain. Of course, she was only captain by proxy since Kakashi-sensei was otherwise indisposed. She would have much rather been with him, giving Itachi his little surprise, but she was needed here. Sakura had a series of gifts that were passed down from her shishou that would help them in this situation, and Tsunade was much too busy with the chaos in Konoha to be here herself.

"Which one?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the brilliant wave of energy as it seeped from the statue and into another scroll.

"Shukaku," Sakura answered certainly. The energy that was writhing in an undulating wave towards the scroll was unmistakable. It was familiar – familiar as the day it attacked and tried to kill her when she was merely twelve years old. Even though it was nearly eight years in the past, Sakura would always remember those days with a sweet bitterness. It had been the first time she had proven her worth, but it had also been the first time she realized how utterly weak she truly was. But it was for the best. Her first chunin exams had made her stronger, and now she was thankful for those days that had caused so many heartaches in her life.

"Any word on Danzou?" Sasuke asked gruffly from behind his hawk-shaped ANBU mask, the same shape as Itachi's when he had been part of Konoha's elite.

Sakura 'harrumphed' and crossed her arms over her chest. "No," she finally admitted. "I want to know how that bastard found out about everything and managed to get out of Konoha before we could strike. We got the other two, no problem. But stupid Danzou catches wind and runs like the stupid coward he is."

"Hn." Sasuke had already heard this rant a hundred times from several different people – namely the Godaime Hokage and her over-zealous apprentice who had concocted this entire plan and ordeal.

"I knew you were going to say that."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did. You're predictable. Borrrrring."

"Sakura," his voice was laced with warning.

"Sasu-cakes," she chirped happily. Sasuke growled at her and looked as if he were about to tackle her like he would Naruto in this situation.

A small cough from the other side of the room interrupted their verbal spar. Sakura's face jolted up to face Gaara, who had several scrolls in his hands, each one containing a bijuu to be distributed throughout their allies. "I'm finished," he announced. Nodding to Sakura, he continued, "You may finish with your mission, Sakura."

A wild grin covered her face as she confidently approached the statue before her. Black leather gloves slid onto her hands with such familiarity that she couldn't help but pet the soft leather a bit. They crinkled happily beneath her fingertips in anticipation as she clenched her fingers into her fists. Oh, she would enjoy this.

This was the statue that they used to kill Gaara, now one of her closest and most precious people – even if he was a big, impatient, contradictory asshole most of the time. The demonic statue could have also claimed Naruto's life one day, and that simply wouldn't do. Nobody, not the Akatsuki, Uchiha Madara, or Kami himself would hurt Naruto while Haruno Sakura still lived and breathed on this planet.

Her steps and resolve began to waver a bit when she ended her journey to the statue. It was even larger when you were standing at the base of it, and the dark aura that surrounded it was suffocating and oppressive. As her gaze turned analytical, trying to ignore the nervous fluttering of her gut, she jumped around the statue, examining its physical strengths and weaknesses. This would certainly be no simple feat.

Gaara's and Sasuke's eyes were on her, she knew, and she had to prove her strength. Both of them had protested her coming on this mission, but she and Tsunade had been persistent. It was too dangerous, they said. Gaara made a comment about her lack of self-control, to which she snorted most ungraciously, almost proving his point for him, but that was neither here nor there. Sasuke said Itachi would kill him if he found out that Sasuke had allowed her to attempt something so dangerous. But Tsunade had insisted that Sakura get to do this since Godaime Hokage couldn't attend herself. They were the only two people with the strength to accomplish this, and she would _not_ let her shishou down. She would _not _let herself down.

Finally, she decided, after thoroughly examining the statue several times, she found a place that would break nicely beneath her fist. Just in case, she went over the statue once more. A sigh of exasperation sounded from across the room, but she wasn't sure if it was from Gaara or Sasuke. Stupid, impatient men. They both wanted to do their own activities in their own time, never hurrying for anyone else's account, but couldn't wait a few damn minutes for her to finish the most important task of the day. To be honest, she didn't care if they were going to be babies about this. If she was going to do this, she was going to do this right, no matter what her impatient friends thought about it. Standing by the right knee of the large humanoid, she began to channel chakra into her fist. Her precise control told her when it would be enough to break the stone into a thousand bits, and for good measure, she pushed in a little more.

Her hand reared back, and with a loud battle shout, it flew right at the statue in front of her. There were no bijuu in it now. It was merely an empty vessel, but the Akatsuki wouldn't be able to use it to take the jinchuriki anymore. The spider-webs of cracks that erupted on the stone as her fist made contact spread out, making their way up the body of the monster. From the tip of its toes, to its tails, to the end of its head, the cracks resonated throughout the entire statue, down to its very core. Once it was done, and Sakura was satisfied, she smiled. Her middle finger connected with her thumb, and with a small flick of her digit, the entire body of the demonic statue crumbled to the ground in a pile of dust and stone.

It was done.

Sakura grinned wildly as she jumped from the rubble to rejoin Gaara and Sasuke. Both stoic individuals were smirking at her, obviously proud with her displays of power. Sakura just grinned back. Something about destroying that statue was cathartic and emotionally liberating. After everything she had been doing in the past six months to bring down the Akatsuki and bring Itachi home, this was just the cherry on top of a very delicious ice cream sundae.

Now, if Kakashi completed his task without screwing it up or getting himself killed, everything just may fall into place. Then again, they still had Danzou and Root to worry about. The man had up and disappeared without a trace, along with nearly four hundred of his trusted Root operatives. Sakura wasn't sure if she should be happy or afraid that Sai had stayed behind. It certainly meant that Danzou no longer trusted him. And he shouldn't. Sai was now completely loyal to Konoha and the Hokage.

"Well, this was fun, ne?" Sakura asked. Sasuke merely tilted his mask to cover his face once again and Gaara smirked at her.

"Your definition of fun is rather odd," the Godaime Kazekage commented quietly.

"At least I have fun. Really, both of you are so borrrrrring," she purred. She jumped out of the cave where the statue had been held before Gaara's sand could wrap around her in a deadly grip.

X

A small white handkerchief was being waved from the hands of the jounin who stood at the door, the three Akatsuki completely speechless inside. The Leaf-nin repeated, "I come in peace. I come in peace," several times while flinging the article around.

"Hatake," Itachi greeted uncertainly. "How'd you get in here – past our traps…?"

"A little birdy with pink feathers walked me through it. Plus, you forget that I've been here before." That was true. This was their base in Tea Country, meaning that it was the first base that they brought the two ninja to when they originally captured Sakura and Kakashi. He continued to explain, "May I come in? I have some matters to discuss with you. Don't worry, we're not here to arrest or kill or harm you in anyway. I just have some things to give you."

Itachi sent a glance behind him. Kisame and Deidara were staring at him with questioning looks, both seemingly unsure of what to do or how to react. To be honest, nothing like this had every happened before. Akatsuki bases were chosen for their anonymity. They were laced with traps, genjutsu, and other means of protection to keep anyone who happens to walk by _out_. Who just came and knocked on the door to the Akatsuki base? No one in their right mind would do something so foolish. Then again, Itachi was beginning to doubt whether or not Kakashi was within his right mind.

"You along with two ANBU may enter, but the rest must wait outside of the barrier that surrounds this property. If we feel them enter it again, we will have no choice but to exterminate you," Itachi finally decided. Of course, it shouldn't come to that. They would not attack the Leaf-nin unless provoked, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Kakashi nodded his acceptance of the terms and then gestured for the group behind him to thin. Three men stayed behind. When Itachi narrowed his eyes, he realized that the man behind the toad-shaped mask was a kage bunshin. "Naruto-kun," he greeted quietly.

The Naruto clone pulled his mask off with a beaming smile. "I wanted to know what was going on, but we thought it be best that I didn't show up in person. You never know what kind of sick freaks are trying to get their hands on my body, you know!" he explained.

The other two ANBU in the room seemed to relax a bit. Itachi noted by their chakra signatures that one was Shiranui Genma and the other was the man that Sakura had referred to as Sai, the former ANBU Root member. As he sidestepped, he allowed the three and a half members to enter the living room. Deidara and Kisame returned to the coach, but they kept their favorite weapons precariously close to their persons. They were missing-nin, and no one ever knew exactly when or how their nations would come after them. Although, Itachi seemed to trust the men that had come unannounced to their temporary home. That was enough for Kisame, at least, but Deidara remained wary and allowed his kekkai genkai to chew happily on clay, preparing to attack if need be.

Kakashi and the two ANBU followed Itachi into the kitchen, while Naruto contented himself to stay in the living room by Kisame and Deidara. The blonde kyuubi seemed more than willing to try to befriend the other two Akatsuki. If Sakura-chan said they were good people, then they must be, and Naruto never turned down the opportunity to make new friends – especially since Sakura said that both Kisame and Deidara enjoyed their sake. Naruto didn't have many good drinking partners back in Konoha.

Itachi motioned for Kakashi to sit down, the other two flanking his sides, choosing to remain standing. "Please, Hatake," Itachi prompted, "Explain."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his hand over his face as if he were suddenly very wary and burdened. Clearly steeling himself for the upcoming conversation, he took in a large, reassuring breath before blurting in a rushed, yet somehow dignified statement, "I was sent here as an ambassador to officially apologize on behalf of Konoha for their crimes and wrongdoing against you and your clan."

He opened up a manila envelope that he had been holding in his hands since his arrival, pulling out documents quickly. Itachi sat in a sort of stunned, contemplative silence. All he could do was watch the copy-nin's methodical movements, seemingly at a loss for words. "This," Kakashi stated evenly as he rifled through papers and pulled several out of the pile, "Is a formal letter of apology from the Hokage. It is sort of the official political bullshit – her words, not mine – that she has to write. This is another, more personal letter from her explaining a few things and offering you clemency back in Konoha. And this is a check."

Itachi took each paper, barely glancing over the contents of each before receiving another paper to look through. Kisame and Deidara were eerily quiet in the living room as they listened to the absolutely baffling news that was being discussed in the kitchen. Itachi continued to look over the papers in his hands, while Kakashi watched him with barely veiled pleasure. The official apology was only one page long and seemed to be brief. The personal letter was a little longer. Itachi could clearly make out several expletives used on the paper. The words 'Danzou' and 'power hungry, egotistical asshole' appeared together several times on the page. Finally, Itachi looked at the check in his hands. The signature on the bottom, to his utter shock, was Uchiha Sasuke. The other anomaly was the _large_ amount of money that was on the check. Kakashi seemed to understand his bewilderment without the emotion ever flitting across Itachi's onyx eyes.

"Sasuke and Sakura went through and completely cleaned out the Uchiha grounds, taking any personal heirlooms and items with them. Then, Sasuke used his inheritance money to completely demolish the entire compound and rebuild several houses and training grounds on it, along with many other luxuries he said he would never need. Really, Sakura had been the primary planner in the entire thing, and Sasuke, being as impassive as ever, let her have her fun. He sold off a good portion of the land that they didn't use. Whatever was left from the Uchiha funds was cut in half. Sasuke kept half for himself and sent half to you," Kakashi explained evenly. His lone black eye was twinkling with amusement at the stunned look on Itachi's face. Even though to an untrained eye, the Uchiha's face was as blank as ever, Kakashi could see the news had surprised Itachi beyond belief.

Kakashi took a small parcel out of his pocket then, which was delicately wrapped in tissue paper, and placed it on the table. "Before I give you this, there are more personal matters to discuss," he stated evenly, but the deadly tenor that resonated throughout Kakashi's voice made Itachi look at him tensely. Tension was suddenly think and tangible, Kakashi's eye narrowing carefully. "Tell me, Uchiha. Exactly how long have you been dating my favorite student?"

The dead silence that followed was perhaps the tensest few seconds of Itachi's life. Even the two ANBU who were stationed behind Kakashi loyally seemed to take a step back to distance themselves from the copy-nin, clearly anticipating a fight to break out, or at the very least, Kakashi to attack the ill-fortuned Uchiha. However, Itachi merely quirked a brow in response, as if to ask Kakashi exactly what he was talking about.

Before anyone could speak, a loud grumbling could be heard from the other room – namely, Naruto's stomach.

"Anyone have ramen?"

"…"

"You're a clone, Dickless, you can't be hungry."

"Yeah, yeah, I know Asshole. But I'm just trying to make things less tense," Naruto explained haphazardly. To his credit, the air did seem to lighten a bit as the tension began to seep from the room slowly. Kakashi was still glaring at Itachi, but the other two ANBU seemed to relax a bit. Naruto, from his place on the couch, continued his small speech, "Ne, ne, Kakashi-sensei, just leave the man alone. If Sakura-chan's happy, then we should be too. Let's face it; he's better for her than the teme or that stupid Hyuuga."

Kakashi's eye crinkled at the corners, indicating he was smiling, but Itachi could see the strain behind the forced gesture. Rubbing the back of his head rather guiltily, Kakashi conceded, "Yeah, I guess you're right Naruto. I suppose I was just surprised to see that necklace around her neck that day."

"And what were you doing so you could see the necklace? It hangs rather low," Itachi asked placidly. He wasn't really jealous or implying anything because he was very familiar with the type of bond Sakura and her sensei possessed, but he wanted to further ease contentious situation; his overly logical mind telling him that some humor may make Kakashi slightly less likely to try to kill him. Sakura and Kakashi held a special bond that went beyond the normal student-teacher dynamic because of everything their particular squad had gone through together. The kunoichi had spent many evenings recounting tales of her beloved sensei even though Itachi felt as if the copy-nin had done her a great disservice by favoring Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura had conceded as much once, when he had expressed his opinion, but she seemed to have gotten over any major ill-will felt towards the jounin.

"Well then," Kakashi replied, a embarrassed look crossing over his face that Itachi could see was placed for show, "I suppose we shall get down to the last bit of business, and then we will be on our way home."

Before Kakashi could finish a small explosion reverberated throughout the room. Samehada was poised in the air in the kitchen, Itachi had grabbed several kunai, and small clay birds flew into the kitchen quickly. However, the only result of the small explosion was a brown pug sitting in the center of the table, a bored look on his face as he watched his owner. Kakashi let out a nervous chuckle as the Akatsuki members began to remove their weapons from the vicinity.

"Pakkun," Kakashi greeted.

"Kakashi. Sakura-chan has asked me to inform you that she has completed her mission successfully and her team is now returning to Konoha," Pakkun muttered quickly, his senses on high alert as his eyes scanned the enemies closely. He didn't care what his master said – the Akatsuki smelled of death, and he was going to trust them as far as he could throw them. Since he was a dog and had no hands, he couldn't throw them anywhere.

"Very good," Kakashi cheered. "In that case, I will leave this…present…with you. The explanation is in the letter Tsunade sent. Our stay here is coming to an end."

"What are you talking about, Hatake?" Itachi questioned. There was an edge to Kakashi's voice that told him he was suddenly nervous about something – something to do with Sakura's mission. Eyes narrowing, he continued, "What'd she do?"

Kakashi merely chuckled as he gathered his companions. Naruto suddenly burst into a cloud of smoke, seemingly aware that their meeting was now finished. Kakashi pushed the small parcel towards Itachi. "You know Sakura," Kakashi said vaguely. "She likes to cause trouble. Read the letters carefully and make your decision. My comrades and I are no longer safe here…if we were ever."

Three mini-explosions later, Kakashi and his comrades were gone in individual puffs of smoke.

X

"THAT LITTLE BITCH," Madara screamed, throwing another large rock in his furious tirade that had begun the moment they entered the cavern. Pein stood nearby, his impassive façade plastered on his face. If one looked closely, they could see the silent fury brewing beneath his dead eyes. Konan looked on rather sheepishly, surveying the damage.

"Every bijuu is gone," Konan finally stated, defeated. All of their hard work and planning had been unraveled in one day. Not that she liked Madara very much; in fact, she hated the man who seemed to love chaos so much, but she was still fairly angry to see her hard work destroyed so easily. "And the statue has been completely destroyed. How…ingenious."

Suddenly, Madara went eerily calm. His mind began to concoct their new plans to destroy Konoha. "I have an errand to run…" he muttered before disappearing in a small cloud of smoke.

Now that their infuriated leader was gone, Pein allowed himself to sigh. "We should contact the others," he stated as he pressed his chakra into his ring. It glowed lightly as his astro-form projected into a room.

Konan allowed herself to chuckle a bit as she replied, "If there are still others."

Konan joined him next. Zetsu appeared rather suddenly, not that was surprising. Itachi, Kisame, and Deidara appeared next. All of them looked rather befuddled and pale, as if something had happened recently. Pein raised an eyebrow at the Uchiha, who merely shook his head.

"One of Deidara's clay birds nearly blew up the base in Tea Country," he explained nonchalantly. That was true. The moment the Konoha ANBU had vanished, one of the clay birds had exploded due to the smoke from the transportation jutsu. Pein just sighed.

"Anyway," Pein began, "We have some…troubling news. It seems that shinobi from the Suna and Konoha have found the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, captured the bijuu within it, and destroyed the vessel."

"We don't know exactly who or how they did it," Pein continued. "Madara-sama, Konan, and I will continue with the investigation. When we find out what happened, we will contact you. Until then, stay put and lie low. This could be the first of several attacks on the Akatsuki. In the meantime, Zetsu, I want your report on the recruitment of those former Sound nin."

"Yes, Leader-sama," they echoed understanding and then released the astro-projection.

X

_Dear Uchiha Itachi,_

_I suppose I could just rewrite all that political bullshit in the 'official' letter, but I'm not going to. I suppose I should start by saying this, you have one hell of a pink-haired-kick-ass cheerleader on your side, and you should count your blessings for her. I do, every day. So, now that's settled, I should tell you that what happened back then would have never happened under my leadership. I'm sorry that the council and Danzou chose to take that course of action. I could babble apologies to do all day, but I'm not going to do that either. You want to know why? Because it won't change anything, and I don't like to apologize, especially when it wasn't my damn fault. _

_So, I'm going to explain what's going to happen now. I am reinstating you as a ninja to Konoha. Whether you come back and are active or not is up to you. I could understand if you never wanted to set foot inside this village again, but I know a certain girl that would be fairly disappointed if that's your choice. However, it is your choice. If you choose not to come back, that's fine as well. You are no longer a traitor in our books. _

_The village is in an uproar over the recently-made-public news over the massacre. They don't hate you. Alright, some may still hate you, but all of your former comrades seem to understand. Many of them would have done the same thing had they been in your position. The two council members who authorized your clan's massacre, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, are dead. By official documentation, they committed suicide the night after the plans behind the massacre became public. That power hungry, egotistical asshole Shimura Danzou escaped punishment for his crimes along with all of ANBU Root. We are currently trying to track him, so he may be tried in a court of law since his actions were definitely illegal. I suppose the one good thing that comes of his defection is the fact that I don't have to listen to his damned, power hungry, egotistical asshole voice anymore. I can now elect my own council, and I don't have to deal with those old, set-in-their-ways bats._

_So, how does this affect you other than the obvious? I guess it doesn't. Whether or not you return home is up to you. I guess. However, if you choose to remain loyal to the Akatsuki and harm comes to our village because of it, purposefully or inadvertently, you will be right back where you started – a defector, missing-nin, and S-class criminal for our bingo book. Sakura mentioned your friends, the fish and the bomb. They can come too. If they swear blood oaths not to harm Konoha and dissolve their ties with the Akatsuki, then they will be granted clemency in Fire Country – but only Fire Country. Both Kages of their respective villages want them to stay far, far away. They are only allowing us to house them without repercussions in order to keep them away from their villages. But that is up to them. _

_I'll stop wasting your time. I hope you make the right decision, for you and for her. _

_Sincerely, _

_Senju Tsunade_

_Godaime Hokage_

Itachi read the letter through twice, carefully. He then read it once more for good measure. Looking down at the papers in his hands, he simply couldn't believe _she_ had done all this for _him. _No, that wasn't the complete truth either. She had done this for _them_. For himself, for her, for Sasuke, and for the village; how could the village truly heal from that massacre without knowing the truth? He had never wanted them to know. It was to protect them, but perhaps he had it wrong all along. Perhaps he should have gone public with the order, but what would that have brought? More death and more destruction.

Shaking his head, he thought, no, that wouldn't have worked either, and it didn't matter now anyway. What happened back then was in the past. What happened recently was in the past. Now, they only had the future, and Sakura had made it so they could be together. When he had challenged her to accomplish this task, he had not expected this. Then again, Sakura never did things in halves.

His hand made its way to the check. This was a lot of money. He could easily buy himself some land just outside of Konoha, build a few houses, and live peacefully with Sakura, Kisame, and Deidara – if they wanted it – by his side. Even then, he could never work another day in his life and still live more than comfortably. Somehow, the thought seemed rather nice, delightful in fact. No more stress, no more missions, no more Akatsuki.

But he knew that wouldn't work either. There was one person who would crush that plan before it even came to be. Uchiha Madara. He would have to die before Itachi could ever settle down – Sasuke too for that matter.

"Whoa, kid, you're rich!" Kisame called loudly, looking over Itachi's shoulder at the check on the table. His two companions had joined him in the kitchen after their meeting with Pein. Kisame had laughed heartily when they had returned, speaking of Sakura as if she was some sort of messiah. Even Deidara was joining in, agreeing with Kisame for perhaps the first time. But the other two were now looking through the things that Kakashi had brought. They finally turned their attention back to the tissue-wrapped gift that the copy-nin had dropped before vanishing.

"What's that, yeah?" Deidara asked easily.

Itachi picked up the parcel and quickly unwrapped it. The new, sleek, unmarked metal of the Konoha symbol shone proudly on the back of a black cloth. It was unscarred, unscratched through the middle. A new start. This would certainly be his new beginning if he chose to take it. But he had to find out something else, first. He handed the letter to Kisame, who read it through. Once he reached the bottom, he reread the passage about being granted pardon to live in Fire Country. After reading it several times, he handed the letter to Deidara…

…who whooped.

"Finally, a chance to get away from this shit hole of an organization. We have to go!" he exclaimed. It was not a secret that Deidara was in the Akatsuki by force, not by choice. If he had been prepared to face the Sharingan, this never would have happened, and he would be living the happy life of a rogue ninja, on his own, with nobody to stifle his art.

"Itachi?" Kisame prompted. The Uchiha looked up from the hitai-ate in his hands for the first time. "What are you going to do?"

Itachi was silent for a moment, so Kisame continued, "I think we should do it. Damn, kid, nobody gets second chances like this. This kind of shit just doesn't happen in our world. That little girl of yours obviously did this for you, and she did it for us to. She's giving us the chance to get the hell out of here. I was always here because you were here – my loyalty was never really with the Akatsuki even though world domination sounded fun and all, and Deidara was shoved into the organization by you of all people. Eh, I may be getting old, but I'm ready to be done with this. You heard Pein. The bijuu are _gone_. Everything we've worked on for ten years, gone, down the drain. What's the point of staying?"

Kisame's speech was met with silence as Itachi looked down at the smooth metal once again. His comrade's opinion surprised him, but it didn't at the same time. Recently, Itachi could tell that Kisame had been going through the motions. The Mist-nin wasn't getting as much action as he liked, and he was no longer appeased by the pace of how things were going. Deidara's opinion was no surprise at all, having been the one to force the nukenin into the Akatsuki himself. Then again, there was still Madara to consider. The best chance to take him out would be to stay close to him and wait for the opportune moment.

As he thought about it, he remembered a conversation he had with Sakura during her stay. It had been during their first healing session for his eyes after he revealed the truth of the massacre to him. She had told him that he couldn't do everything himself. His plan to die by Sasuke's hand had become clearer to her, and she was already working to break down his resolve on the issue.

He couldn't do it by himself.

Itachi wasn't arrogant, but he knew he was powerful, being ever aware of his capabilities. But he wasn't Madara – he wasn't even close to being as powerful as the oldest of the Uchiha. If he wanted him dead, he would need help.

Sasuke.

It would be perfect. Sasuke would get his revenge because the entire massacre was Madara's fault in the first place – having planted the seeds of suspicion in the council after the kyuubi attack. He was also present on the night of the attack. They would kill him, and everything would fall into place.

_Right_, the rather sarcastic part of his mind doubted. Of course, nothing was ever that easy. But it would be a step in the right direction.

Finally, Itachi had made his decision.

"Pack your things," he stated, "we are heading for Konoha."

X

Madara's steps were fast and furious through the halls. Someone would be aware of his presence by now, but he didn't care. It's not like any of these weaklings could kill him anyway. But he needed them – pawns in his game. He arrived at the door he was looking for and stepped through without knocking.

The old, bandaged man before him glanced his way with a stern glare from behind the dilapidated desk he was sitting at.

"Uchiha Madara."

"Shimura Danzou, I have a proposition for you…"

* * *

AN: So kudos to **BallerinasAreBabyNinjas **for coming up with the idea to have Naruto present when Kakashi met with Itachi. I really liked the idea and it sounded fun, but I had to come up with a way to do it without handing Naruto to the Akatsuki on a silver platter. I hope it was a little entertaining, at least.

Anyway, I'm heading on vacation for the next few weeks, so I'm not sure if I'll be updating soon.

Thanks for reading, guys. You're the best, and please review!


	19. Finally Home

AN: Hello there friends!

So, here's the deal. It is almost August. Here is a glimpse into my life during August: Eat, work, eat, sleep, eat, work, eat, sleep, eat, work, eat, sleep. Do you get it? I work in retail, and it is time for hell month, meaning you shouldn't expect too much out of me for the next month or so. I'm hoping to maybe to a one-shot or two, but honestly, I don't even expect that much out of me. By the time I drag myself home, shower, and have a proper meal, I'm so tired I don't even turn on my television.

So thank you for being patient and understanding, and thank you for reading.

Please review. They make the words melt onto the page. They fuel me, my friends.

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth **

**Chapter 19: Finally Home**

* * *

"_For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home." _

― _Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss_

* * *

They arrived in Konoha, via the hidden route of the training grounds that Sakura had used to sneak in and out of the village, just in time to see Uchiha Sasuke jump on one Haruno Sakura, straddling her waist on the ground and plunging a kunai to her neck.

Well, that was one hell of a welcome.

The duo didn't seem to notice their arrival, though, because they were so persistently wrapped up in their spar. A fury of movements, harsh yet almost majestically graceful, ensued, resulting in Sakura's lithe form launching herself from under Sasuke and throwing a chakra-laden punch towards the jaw of the youngest Uchiha. His stiff, broad shoulders twisted quicker than one would think possible for someone so well built to dodge the hit that could have easily dislocated his jaw. Red, Sharingan eyes emblazoned with silent concentration traced the fluid movements of the woman in front of him. Her fierce sea foam eyes were on him and only him as her petite form launched towards him once again.

Itachi quietly watched the duel unfold and silently appreciated the agile form of his lover and ferocious champion. If it were possible, her body was even more toned and muscled from her months of travelling to and from Suna as well as her ANBU training, causing a bout of appreciation to wash over Itachi for the ANBU Black-Ops program in Konoha. Her shorter-than-usual black shorts accentuated her long, toned legs. The mesh tank top that she wore was riding up, teasing him with a small stretch of her washed stomach. He had to forcibly tear his eyes away from her in order to keep his cold, bland composure, and focus on the small clash going on in front of him.

From what Itachi could tell, it seemed to be a spar judging by the way that none of the other ANBU who were around them was attempting to stop them. Sakura was now dodging, from foot to foot, from Sasuke's katana now. Her short pony tail, holding back her cotton candy tresses, bounced wildly from side to side as she jumped back, avoiding each jab from Sasuke's deadly sword. The battle was vividly intense. Itachi found it impossible to take his eyes away from the vaguely familiar, intense movements of Sakura's thin form, and by contrast, Sasuke's broad, muscled physique.

It had to be a spar, Itachi decided, when he spied the Soutaichou of Konoha's ANBU standing at the edge of the field, his dark eyes watching the two fighting carefully and calling out any flaws in their form.

Fujioka Takeo had been the head captain of the ANBU forces since he was a young man, having been groomed by his father, the former Soutaichou, to take over when he either passed away or retired – the former being the cause in his case. It was in his blood completely since he was bred and raised for the job, which Itachi understood from his own personal experience, and the many years of fighting alongside his comrades had rendered the older male scarred worse than Morino Ibiki, who happened to be one of his closest friends since they had graduated the academy together. Takeo had been the one who had enlisted Itachi into Konoha's elite more than ten years prior, and he had seemed old back then, even though he was no older than 24 at the time.

Now the man seemed even more aged with everything that had happened in the village since Itachi's defection. His grey eyes never held any real light to them, but they seemed even colder, deadened from the horrors of war, fighting, and the loss of his precious comrades. His pale blond hair, so blond it was almost white if Itachi's memory served, was shaved closer to his head so that the color was difficult to discern. His entire continence exuded an air of arrogant, prideful, and powerful ninja warrior. Overall, the man was more physically unapproachable than Itachi remembered, and it took a very intimidating man to render subservience from the elder Uchiha.

Even though they were hidden in the trees, Itachi knew that Takeo had sensed their presence the moment they had approached the training grounds. His cool grey eyes wove through the trees on the edge of training ground, and the slight tilt of his lips upwards in their general direction gave Itachi the confidence to dart out of the trees and land next to his former captain in the blink of an eye. His companions stayed back, waiting in the forest for his signal to come out.

"Uchiha Itachi, never thought I would see you around here again," Takeo greeted quietly, in a gruff, aged tone; his eyes had turned back to the spar going on between Sasuke and Sakura, who had not taken notice to the slight interruption due to their utter concentration on the battle at hand. Sakura had pulled out her tantou, which she didn't use often, and was attacking Sasuke with all the fervor she could muster. The amused lilt to Takeo's explanation was something Itachi didn't expect; it was almost fond, "They won't realize you're here unless you try to attack one of them. Quite a pair, those two."

"Indeed." Itachi agreed quietly.

"It's good to have you back," his former superior commented quietly. "I found out several years ago, just before the Third passed away, but it wasn't my place to tell. He told me that you wanted it kept quiet so I obliged."

Itachi merely inclined his head. Takeo offered no apologies, nor would he, but Itachi didn't need them. They had all been too sorry for too long.

"Now, let's get your little brother and girlfriend to stop rolling around on the ground long enough to notice you're here. I swear those two are worse than Kakashi-san and Gai-san," Takeo muttered, his voice betraying the small amount of indignation and irritation for his two (and although he'd never admit it, favorite) subordinates. Itachi's bland eyes widened momentarily at the comment, his muscles tensing slightly at the remark – how did he know about him and Sakura?

His eyes wandered about the group of ANBU who were training with their captain. Their tense posture told Itachi that they were not comfortable with him being there, which wasn't very surprising, and their masks were now over their faces when they hadn't been previously. However, their ears were precariously tilted in the direction of their head captain as they tried to figure out the soft conversation that was going on between their highest ranking official and a former nukenin.

To answer his unspoken question, Takeo chuckled hoarsely, as if the sound hadn't left his throat for a long time.

"No one puts in as much effort as that little girl for someone who's no one to her. It was just a guess, but you're reaction clinched it for me. Plus, I was surprised when those two had suddenly started spending all of their time together, but there was obviously no romantic connection between them. When the truth came out, it wasn't all that hard to figure out."

Itachi stayed silent, internally contemplating if Sakura had been that obvious about her affections for him, but he silently disregarded the idea. The head of the ANBU forces was just incredibly observant; it was his job, after all.

The Soutachiou's face lifted a bit, contorting the scars he sported over his face, as he watched the last moments of the battle going on between his two subordinates. His next course of unprecedented action was to whistle shrilly, a sharp, practiced, and forceful sound piercing the air, bringing the intense spar to a stop almost immediately. Sasuke's chidori, singing loudly in a bell of chirping birds, dissipated from his launching fist immediately. Sakura, on the other hand, had to completely coagulate her chakra flow from her hands, lest she completely destroy the ground beneath her for no reason, possibly harming her, Sasuke, and their comrades who were in the clearing with them.

"Exercise failed."

Sakura's eyes widened at the domineering words that cut through the air like a knife. Sasuke's face turned form intense to indignant in a mere moment, shooting his red eyes towards his captain. Widening from the sudden appearance of his brother, his formerly penetrating expression softened in a confused tilt of the head.

"If you are in the middle of a battle, no matter how intense," the ANBU captain began explaining. Sakura was now looking at Itachi now, her jade orbs sparkling in a knowing, lovely excitement at the sight of her ever-stoic lover. Her open body language was quickly quelled, though, when Sasuke gave her a not-so-subtle jab to the ribs with his elbow, telling her to sober up before their superior was angered any further. Their captain continued his chastising in his normal, sand-paper scratchy voice, "You need to have your wits about you, or did you not notice the three nukenin waltz into our training session?"

Itachi watched, veiling his amusement at her blatant reaction, as a pink eyebrow rose in shock ande whirled her head around to the forest where Kisame and Deidara had begun to walk with tentative footsteps to the groups of ANBU standing about the secluded training ground. Her face lit up immediately, shining with a cheerful passion that only spoke of _pure joy_ at the current situation, completely forgetting the previous reprimanding she had just received from her rather gruff superior. The guilty look that she had previously been sporting was quickly replaced with a wide, guileless smile that spread across her soft face, brightening it like a mega-watt bulb. If it wouldn't be horribly inappropriate and unprofessional to run up and hug her two good friends and boyfriend, she would, but due to their current company, the young woman refrained.

"We will not make the same mistake twice," Sasuke confirmed. Once again, he was forced to dig his elbow into Sakura, prompting a response out of his distracted friend and teammate.

"Right, won't happen again Soutaichou!" she promised informally. The excitement radiated off her in waves, distracting her from her training session, and forcing her to focus solely on the three recent additions to their ANBU training ground. "May we be dismissed so I can take my charges to the Hokage? Her orders were-"

"I know her orders, Sakura," Takeo replied blandly. Sakura looked ready to apologize for her inadvertent insult, her hands flying up in a submissive, apologetic fashion when the Soutaichou of Konoha's ANBU stopped her. "You and Sasuke need to take them to the Hokage now."

"Yes, Soutaichou," they responded in an awkward harmony of impatient, disgruntled baritone, and a lighthearted, delighted chirp of enthusiasm. Sakura's small, petite arm sheathed her tantou, and in quick, purposeful steps, she began to walk towards town, two stoic Uchiha brothers and two confused nukenin in tow.

Their stroll through the Konoha training grounds was quiet and a bit awkward. Of course, everybody in the village had been told about the massacre. The dark truth of their past was shocking and had rocked the bones and citizens and shinobi alike, making them doubt their government, ideals, and purpose of being in their hidden village in the first place.

Every hidden village had dirty secrets, a dirty history, but nobody wanted to dwell or admit the mistakes that their past generations had made.

So in order to atone for the egregious errors their former leaders had made in judgment, the shinobi of Konoha had arrested, or at least tried to arrest, the perpetrators of this tragic event. The only one who had escaped was Danzou, and he had taken a good amount of his Root forces with him into hiding. Knowing that he was still a threat to Konoha riled Sakura into bouts of, to put it bluntly, volatile temper tantrums that were both slightly amusing, yet completely dangerous at the same time.

However, despite the fact that the people of Konoha now knew that Uchiha Itachi was _not_ completely at fault of the Uchiha massacre, did not mean that the people and shinobi of the hidden village were going to be welcoming. In fact, they were still very wary of the shinobi who had killed of his entire clan over ten years prior. The shinobi of the village had been more understanding than the civilians, of course, because they understood the deep-seated duty and loyalty that being a ninja required.

As the rag-tag, odd looking group of nukenin and Leaf ninjas walked down the path that winded down the forests and clearings that were Konoha's training areas, they were watched closely with a wary resistance by some and an awe of reverence and silent appreciation by others. Since there were so many training grounds in Konoha, and they were purposely taking the walk slow, not wanting to incite any backlash from the shinobi population, it took almost half an hour to reach the town.

By the time they stepped out the fenced in area that was Konoha's training grounds, word had spread that the last, long-lost Uchiha, and his Akatsuki counterparts, had come to the village seeking refuge. Luckily this meant that the Godaime Hokage was waiting for them, arms crossed over her bosom, with an arrogant and slightly pleased smile spreading over her round face.

"Uchiha Itachi," she stated purposefully, "Welcome back."

Sakura beamed harder, if possible, as Itachi bowed slightly to the Godaime Hokage.

"There are things we need to discuss," Itachi stated impassively, his cobalt orbs running over the streets carefully, looking out for any hidden dangers to him or his companions. "Konoha is in danger."

Tsunade nodded her head briefly, understanding flitting across her amber eyes at Itachi's wary look. The things they needed to discuss would need to be private.

"Very well," she replied evenly. "You three come with me. Sakura, Sasuke, go find something else to do."

Sakura tried to interject, protesting being sent away, "But-"

"No."

"Hokage-sama-" Sasuke tried.

"No. I'm sure there is _something_ you two can find to entertain yourselves with while I debrief and assess the situation at hand. Do you understand?" Tsunade asked. Her commanding voice left little room for arguments, so the rosette medic and her ever faithful guard-dog slunk off dejectedly, glancing back every few moments to lock eye contact with Itachi, silently hoping he would interfere on their behalf. He didn't.

The Hokage, along with a slew of ANBU guards, some of which Itachi recognized, others he didn't, walked purposefully down the crowded streets of Konoha's main hub, garnering unabashed stairs from young children to the elderly alike. This would be the scandal of the decade, Itachi's return to Konoha, and the previous scandal involved the legendary Uchiha as well. There was a lingering amount of tension and distrust that came from the stares of the civilians, especially the older ones – the ones that had been told that day, that horrid day ten years ago, that a young, thirteen year old shinobi had been strong enough to completely wipe out one of the most powerful clans in Konoha and his family.

Subconsciously, and not unnoticed by the Hokage, the Uchiha quickened his steps a bit, wishing to be out of the direct line of sight of the public. It would be better to let the news of his return settle in, he decided, before running around freely, eating Ichiraku ramen and going to the market. They needed time. After believing something for so long, it is difficult to dissuade the feelings of contempt and hatred for a person when the truth of their innocence is revealed.

After what felt like eternity, but was really a few minutes, the two nukenin, who had been uncertainly quiet in their stroll in a ninja village, and Itachi, arrived with the Hokage and her guards at the Hokage tower. The building, which was the same as he'd remembered, seemed more foreign to him now than ever. The last time he had been in this building, he had been bowing towards the Third Hokage, begging him to protect his precious little brother from Danzou. The memory brought a horrid feeling of contempt to his stomach, which he pushed down with a bit of effort.

All of the memories that he had here would be within him forever. And, although it would be horribly difficult, he would have to live with them for the rest of his life since he would never allow them to fade – he deserved this fate, at least, if he was now getting a second chance at life here. This was something he was prepared for, but the wave of quiet nausea that washed over him suddenly made him miss a step. Taking in a deep, inaudible breath, he steeled himself mentally. He couldn't become weak now; he had to show everyone that he did belong here, with her, and that he would to everything he could to atone for what he had done, even if it would never be enough.

A quiet squeak brought his attention out of his reverie and to the area around him. Impassive onyx eyes carefully scanned the surroundings, and it was only went he caught a brief flash of pink that had ducked behind a window in the Hokage tower that he realized that Sakura and Sasuke had been following them from the moment they had pretended to slip away. A small smile tugged at his lips for a moment before he carefully blanked his face to his normal impassivity once again.

Perhaps, if he had her, this wouldn't be so bad.

X

_He is here_.

The happy mantra repeated in her head, over and over, as she rushed through the shadows, Sasuke hot on her trail, across Konoha. From the moment that she had spied her quiet, stoic lover, a flutter of butterflies, manifesting in adrenaline, had spread throughout her body, numbing her to everything that wasn't _him_.

_He is here! He is HERE. HE IS HERE!_

They had to reach the Hokage tower before Tsunade and the new visitors reached the building. If they could, then they would be able to find a suitable hiding spot in order to spy on the meeting that they had, admittedly, had no business checking in on.

But in many other ways, it was their business. They had been the two that had started all of this, and they were going to see it through to the end. The silent promise that they had made to each other, all of those months ago, would hold true. Their bond was stronger now, stronger than it had ever been, and Sakura was confident that Sasuke would help her with whatever she asked if it meant brining his brother home, permanently.

They glided effortlessly under the shadows on the rooftops, down the alleyways, and through the less crowded streets of Konoha, keeping their wards in their line of sight the entire time. Finally, they made the last sprint from the smallest shadow, up a drain pipe of the Hokage Tower, so they didn't have to use their chakra and bring attention to themselves, and found an open window. Sakura looked down, viridian eyes shining with curiosity and mischief as she slipped through the window and promptly let out a loud-enough-to-hear-from-the-ground squeal when she lost her balance and fell face first into the small closet that she and Sasuke had been slipping into silently.

She was such a klutz.

Sasuke's slightly aloof, slightly amused gaze said as much when he crossed his broad arms over his muscled chest and raised a questioning brow, but the ends of his thin lips tugged up, telling Sakura he had found the entire scene slightly entertaining. She, in a childish display of annoyance and embarrassment, stuck her small pink tongue out, clenching her eyes shut for a mere moment. When she opened them again, Sasuke was standing a little closer to her than before. A large finger was pressed significantly over his lips, silently ordering the kunoichi in front of him to stay silent.

Sakura strained her ears to listen for signs that the group had entered the building, and she found it. They were walking up the stairs now, if her senses guided her right, and would be in the Hokage's secure office in a matter of moments. Thinking quickly, she pulled Sasuke out of the closet and down a usually private hallway.

In a silent run that only ninja of their caliber could accomplish, they made their way down the hall, around a corner, down a flight of stairs, and into another closet. With Sasuke pressed rather precariously against her in the small broom closet that Sakura had dragged him into, Sakura began to shuffle around, looking for the covered slot that lead to the air duct units that would allow them to sneak within hearing distance of the Hokage's meeting.

_Finally_, she thought to herself lightly as she unscrewed the small screws with her hands carefully and pulling the large ventilation unit off of the ceiling, hiding the offending piece of metal behind a bucket.

Sasuke raised a perfectly shaped black eyebrow at the woman in front of him. She wanted him to climb up and through that tiny hole? Sakura's impish, knowing smile answered that rather rhetorical question that he had asked himself. Of course she did. Sighing silently in exasperation, Sasuke rolled his eyes rather blatantly, and childishly, at his recently made best friend, but lifted himself easily into the tight space. It was a close call and an uncomfortably snug fit, but he would make it. The genuine amusement radiating off of Sakura at his current predicament was enough to make Sasuke sigh again in annoyance.

Sakura pointed the way through the rather complicated ventilation system, bringing them closer and closer to the secret meeting that was being held behind closed doors. After several twists and corners, and much to Sasuke's chagrin, some wrong turns, they arrived at the large ventilation duct that was sitting underneath the Hokage's office.

The meeting had already begun, and Itachi was already, in his impassive tenor, reciting what had happened after Sakura had destroyed the demonic statue. He was sure, from what Sakura could tell by his unwavering tone, that Pein and Madara would be attacking Konoha in order to seek redemption for their sudden lack of world domination plan. Even Deidara and Kisame, who had been incredibly silent in their discomfort at being back within the walls of a hidden village, had assured the Hokage that there would be an attack. They didn't know when or how, but Pein would seek to destroy the village that had suddenly taken his organization away from him. Madara would be much quieter, they said determinedly, in his revenge, but he would also have a hand in destroying their beautiful village.

Sasuke and Sakura were silent the entire time, quietly exchanging looks at certain times, during certain pieces of conversation. Sasuke's cobalt eyes were emotionless as ever, but Sakura observed the quiet tension in his thick shoulders that spoke miles of his discomfort in having his brother suddenly appear, even if he did know that it would be happening sometime soon.

Clear, emerald eyes softened, capturing Sasuke's attention and both annoying him and subduing his subconscious inner turmoil easily.

Although he would never show it, Sasuke was deeply and profoundly affected by everything that was going on in his life. He wouldn't tell her about it outright, but he trusted Sakura to understand him even when he could not verbalize it completely. She was good like that – studying his body language, his movements, and his usually devoid facial expression – and was always able to seemingly read his mind, putting his inner qualms to rest with a simple gesture or look.

The meeting seemed to be winding to a close when Sakura focused her undivided attention onto the group. Tsunade was barking orders at Shizune, telling her to find Kakashi and Morino Ibiki so she could consult with them before making any decisions and giving them a specific time to be in her office in the morning.

"And tell that Hatake that if he is more than five minutes late, I'm demoting him to chunin and burning that damned porn of his!"

Sakura, through the cracks in the grates that lead to the meeting chambers, could see how tense Itachi seemed to be. He was obviously still fairly uncomfortable being back. All of the memories from the past, flooding him in a matter of hours, was affecting him much more than he was letting on. Sakura could tell. The way the lines that ran down his face were dragged down a little further from the small frown that creased his aristocratic, stoic features. His shoulders held a tenseness that was unmistakable to those who were well versed in his body language. And she couldn't even see his whole face – only his profile from her vantage point. Her heart went out to him, mourning in subtle guilt; she was the reason why he was here, after all. It was her fault he was undergoing so much emotional and mental distress.

Sakura sighed lightly, cradling her face in her hands the best she could manage in the tight space her and Sasuke were still lodged into. After a moment of pitying herself and her lover, she took a look at the other two friends that had accompanied Itachi to Konoha in search for clemency.

Even Deidara and Kisame were relaxing a little, she realized; their shoulders falling a bit, their fingers not as tensed, ready to strike if need be. The Godaime seemed to have done a wonderful job in pacifying the two paranoid missing-nins. That was until she addressed them.

"Alright, as for you two," she barked rather unceremoniously. Instantly, Deidara's hands flexed and Kisame's shoulders straightened and tensed. "I've spoken with the two Kages of your individual villages, and both of them have agreed to let you stay here without repercussion, meaning them hunting you down within our walls, given that you do not step foot within your respective countries ever again. Additionally, you will have to sign blood oaths, which will _kill_ you if you break them, stating you will never purposefully or intentionally bring harm to Konoha or Fire Country. A treaty of this type between nations has never been attempted before, and to be honest, I'm surprised it worked. If I found out one of my missing-nin was in Earth Country or Water Country, I'd be going after them with everything I had."

Her speech ended rather abruptly as she began to shuffle through a drawer, pulling out two large scrolls as she did so. Sakura's vision was blurred from the grate, but she gathered that her shishou was pulling out the scrolls for the loyalty jutsu. Straining her viridian eyes a bit, Sakura was able to discern the swirling kanji of a sealing scroll; it would seal their blood and tie them to the oath that they pledged here forever.

"Now, Sharky and Pyro, do you agree to these terms?" Tsunade finally asked amusedly. Both Kisame and Deidara had their backs facing Sakura, so she could only imagine what their faces were like at the nick-names that her shishou had so formally bestowed upon them. Kisame would undoubtedly scowl for a minute, bearing his sharp teeth, but then he would lighten his face into a pointy-toothed grin at the good, but not so original, joke. Deidara, on the other hand, would yell at her and call her some sort of fowl name.

However, they were in a very contentious situation as it was, and to their eternal credit, the two nukenin stayed quiet, but they agreed to the terms. The blood sealing ritual was quick and quite boring to listen to. Judging by the tension that was slowly creeping into Sasuke's shoulders, as he pressed against her side in the air duct, he was beginning to become restless and impatient with the entire meeting. Sakura shifted a bit, catching his attention, and planted him with a silent plea for patience that would hopefully pacify her brooding friend.

He just rolled his eyes and shifted again, making himself more comfortable and pushing Sakura further to the side in the process, squishing her worse than before.

Jerk.

"Now, Deidara-san, would you please do me a favor?" Tsunade suddenly asked once the oath ceremony was completed; however, her tone was too sickly-sweet – there was something off about it that caught Sakura's attention, tearing her attention away from pinching Sasuke, her current plan of attack to get her more space, and back to the meeting.

"Hokage-sama," Deidara replied evenly, but Sakura didn't miss the slight undertone of sarcasm that he spewed with the honored phrase.

"The tower has been having some pest control problems. They like to hang out in the air vents. Could you create some small explosive bugs and send them into the vents? I think it would take care of the problem," Tsunade asked nicely, folding her fingers in front of her face with a glowing look of malicious amusement in her honey colored depths.

"Uh," Deidara replied dumbly even though he was already molding the chakra to do so, "Sure."

Sakura and Sasuke stared in horror as hundreds of tiny insect sized pieces of clay began to fall from Deidara's hands and scuttled their way towards the air vents. Sakura began to push herself back to get out the vents while Sasuke was turning himself so he could escape.

"Deidara," Itachi finally intervened sternly. "That is hardly necessary, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade smirked at the man in front of her. His onyx eyes were watching her carefully, calculating her reaction to his interference. However, Deidara's bugs stopped, a puzzled look plastered on the blonde's face.

"Well," Tsunade finally conceded, "I'm glad that her loyalty to you is requited."

"It is," Itachi answered both slowly and meaningfully. There was a certain level of understanding exchanging between the two that Kisame and Deidara did not understand. They were speaking in some sort of layered code, only understanding what the other was meaning and doing. And for outsiders who were fairly new and uncomfortable being here, they were being left in the dark completely.

"Huh?" Kisame finally interrupted, asking what the conversation was about. Clearly, he and Deidara hadn't been let in on the fun, and now he wanted to know why his fellow former Akatsuki member couldn't blow up the air vents. In response, Itachi walked over to the air vents and snapped the grated piece of metal open, revealing Sasuke's and Sakura's guilty faces. Kisame sputtered in surprise, Deidara's reaction mimicking his, but he quickly understood what had happened and laughed heartily. "Hey there, kid!"

"Hey, Kisame!" Sakura greeted rather cheerfully. "You want to help us out of here?"

Kisame walked over as he chortled laughter at their situation, his black, beady eyes glowing with delight. Grabbing Sakura by the shoulders, he hoisted the thin kunoichi out of the small duct with little effort; however, Sakura wasn't steady on her feet, so she promptly tripped and stumbled once Kisame had set her down. Itachi's hand was there though, steadying her by crutching her forearm.

"Thanks," she muttered while dusting off her shirt and shorts. Sasuke was able to pull himself from the duct now that Sakura had been removed. Before he could insult Sakura's annoying, stupid idea of hiding in the air vents where they had been sensed anyway, Tsunade interrupted.

"Uchiha Sasuke," she barked in a commanding voice. Sasuke turned and set her with a well-timed glower. If she had known they were there the entire time, she could have at least called them out on it in the beginning so he didn't have to lay/squat in the small, enclosed space for the better part of an hour with Sakura breathing on his neck. Tsunade just quirked a brow at him, as if daring him to complain. "You will be taking the two nukenin to your new compound and guard them there. They are not to leave without you, me, Sakura, or Kakashi. Is that understood?"

That was fantastic – give him unwanted house guests that he had to babysit most of the time. Really, the old woman was getting on his nerves. He wasn't sure if he was more afraid or excited for the day that Naruto became Hokage. Gritting his teeth so hard that it was audible, Sasuke muttered petulantly, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Sakura, I'm assuming Itachi-san will be staying with you?" Tsunade asked mirthfully, her eyes colored with a fine-tuned humor.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Sakura replied cheerfully. She turned to Itachi, though, and gave him a strange look. "If you want to, that is. I'd understand if you want to stay with Sasuke, though."

Itachi regarded her for a moment. Staring at the beautiful, fierce, currently dusty woman in front of him, he could only watch at her wordlessly. She had opened up her heart, her home, and her life to him, and now she was giving him some other option that he hadn't even really considered. His planning in coming here had been both short and relatively impulsive. It was a small window – a window at happiness and freedom – and he had grasped it with little to no thought. This had been one of the very few impulsive moves he had ever made in his life, but it had just seemed right. Why?

Because of her.

"Your home will be fine," he finally replied easily. To anyone else, it would have sounded like an unimpressed notion, but coming from him, it meant a lot. Being close to Itachi meant that one had to understand each nuance that the unflappable man portrayed, and this was his way of telling her that he wanted to be with her – not anybody else. So her face brightened in excitement.

"Alright!" she replied cheerfully, teetering from the balls to the heels of her feet in suppressed excitement.

"Sakura," Tsunade interrupted. "You will come here tomorrow morning. We will need to make a plan for if the village is attacked, and I want you here."

Sakura's eyes went wide. She had never, ever been invited to an advisors meeting outside of small meetings about the hospital.

"Yes, shishou. I would be honored," she responded dutifully.

"No, Sakura," Tsunade said, waving the group out of her office as she pulled a bottle of sake from her drawer. "You've earned it."

The trip back to her small, one bedroom apartment should have been shorter, but they stopped by the Uchiha compound to drop of Sasuke, Kisame, and Deidara. The two missing-nin had already caught onto annoying Sasuke – dubbing him several inappropriate and feminine nick-names by the end of their journey. Princess Sas-cakes was the personal favorite of the group, much to Sasuke's chagrin. When they reached the newly minted gates, they said their goodbyes. Although it was a new place, the death having been wiped from the walls, Itachi was clearly uncomfortable being around the domicile where he had murdered his entire family save his younger brother.

The villagers watched them all with a guarded curiosity, clearly surprised by the sudden arrival of three missing ninjas, one of which hailing from their own home. Sakura ignored the stares and the whispers, and instead, took to chatting happily next to Itachi who just listened to her talk.

So, in a roundabout way, they made their way to Sakura's small home. He didn't speak, but Sakura never expected him to. He was just Itachi, and he was quiet, but he was hers, and most importantly, he was _here_.

The key slid into the lock easily as she let them both in. The moment the door closed behind her, Sakura was whipped around by Itachi who grabbed her head in his two hands before leaning down and placing a hard kiss to her mouth. Sakura smiled hazily when he finally took his soft lips off her own.

"I'm glad you're here," Sakura said breathlessly, still recovering from the kiss that she had just received.

Itachi just watched her for a while again before leaning down and kissing her more chastely on the lips. Finally, he conceded, "It's good to be here," he whispered into her lips, reveling in her warmth.

"It's good to be home."

* * *

AN: There we go. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Your reviews are what make the words come to the page. Please leave your questions/comments/concerns. I love them and read them happily.


	20. Something Wicked, Part 1

AN: I don't know exactly how many more chapters I promised you, but there are two more after this. I actually decided to change around where I was going to end this story. Anyway, here is chapter 20!

Please review!

* * *

**Nothing but the Truth**

**Chapter 20: Something Wicked, Part 1**

* * *

"_By the pricking of my thumbs…"_

― _William Shakespeare, Macbeth_

* * *

"Have you talked to him yet?" she asked quietly from her place in the kitchen. The look that Itachi gave her was so blasé and indifferent that the overwhelming urge to throw her frying pan at him washed over her. Gritting her teeth, she turned back over to the stir fry in her pan, mixing in the appropriate vegetables now that the meat was cooked enough. "You know, you're going to have to talk to him at some point about everything. Nothing will be better until you do."

"Uchihas do not talk about their feelings, Sakura." His tone was more arrogant than she had ever heard it, and it nearly made her give way to her impulse to beat sensibility into him. If she could do it to Naruto and Sasuke, then she could certainly do it to him. Careening her head over her shoulder to glare at him, she shot him an angry glance before flipping the knob of the stove off and spooning the stir fry onto a large serving plate.

"Maybe Uchihas should start talking. Maybe if you had all talked before, none of this would have happened," she shot back furiously, slamming the plate down on the table and stomping back into the kitchen to get the rest of the plates and utensils. However, his hand shot out and he grabbed her by the wrist.

It had been a long day at the hospital, preceded by training with Sasuke and then succeeded by training with her ANBU unit, and she was in no mood to argue with pig-headed, stubborn, and close-minded jerks. If she hadn't had this exact same conversation with Sasuke, who had ultimately told her the exact same thing, then she wouldn't be so touch on the subject. But two of the people that she loved and cared about most in the world were in a tense, unsure standoff with one and other, and it was getting frustrating tiptoeing around their tender feelings. Because, whether they wanted to admit it or not, they were acting like children.

"Do not speak of things you do not understand," he hissed back suddenly after a moment of a silent, apprehensive standoff of Sakura's angry jade orbs glaring fiercely towards those of her lover's. His mouth was stressed into a thin, pursed line that reeked of irritation, and his deep black eyes were narrowed in annoyance.

Sakura scoffed. "Don't you dare say I don't understand, Uchiha," she responded curtly. "Sasuke-kun is one of my best friends, and you and I aren't exactly strangers now, are we?"

"That's why I expect you to understand," he replied without missing a beat. Sakura jerked her arm out of his grip roughly and continued back into the kitchen for the rest of the kitchenware they needed to eat their dinner. By the time she returned, Itachi had fixed his attention onto his rice and wasn't speaking to her. Sakura rolled her eyes.

With the exception of going out to train in the early mornings, by himself or sometimes with her, Itachi didn't leave her apartment. Deidara and Kisame would come by after Sakura got off work to visit, but that didn't help much. Assuming that Itachi was just suffering from cabin fever would be too easy. She knew how much being in Konoha was affecting him emotionally; she wasn't an unobservant idiot like Itachi seemed to think she was. It must be incredibly hard to be back here, but she knew he would feel better about it if he would just go talk to Sasuke and hash things out. Plus, if the village saw that Sasuke had accepted his brother back into his life and into the village, then they would be much more likely to show Itachi the same acceptance.

And it would get him the hell out of her apartment for a little while. Although she loved having him here, it was difficult for him to be cooped up and cranky all the time, on top of her work and planning for the imminent attack on the village. The entire population of Konoha was stressed to the breaking point, and if something didn't happen soon, every shinobi and civilian alike would go crazy with worry and stress. Since Sakura was helping in the plans, she was receiving the brunt of pressure from the other ninja and her shishou. Coming home to a melancholy Itachi didn't help. If only he would just go out sometimes other than to train, he may be a little more amiable.

The thought almost made her snort out loud. One thing Uchiha Itachi would never be was amiable, but she would settle for less of an asshole any day. She nudged the rice between her chopsticks dejectedly. Sometimes Itachi didn't realize how mean he could be. Sasuke was the same way, she internally conceded, but he was getting better at realizing when he said something arrogant or rude quickly. It only took him a few moments for him to gruffly apologize.

"Eat your food," came a soft command from the other end of the table. Sakura looked up from her rice and stir fry to see his penetrating, bottomless obsidian orbs boring into her person. Instead of starting another fight, she just stuck her tongue out at him childishly but began to eat her rice. The deep chuckle he gave out resonated throughout the small, silent apartment, and it instantly made her body glow with warmth that spread down to her toes. The constant air of hostility and friction that had permeated throughout the room since the beginning of their little spat seemed to disintegrate naturally, and she could feel the tension in her shoulders and body release instantly. Smiling up at him, she grinned and dove into her food with growing intensity because suddenly she realized that she hadn't eaten much at all today with the exception of a small bento at lunch.

"I still think you're wrong. I think you two need to talk," she reiterated between bites. There was a barely audible sigh of exasperation from her partner, and she grinned again. Slowly, she was breaking down his will to defy her. Fine, she reasoned, if he's going to stay in this apartment and be a jerk about everything, then he can listen to her nag him until he leaves to get some fresh air.

"I will…try," he conceded quietly. Sakura's smile got bigger.

"I love you, you know that?" she confided happily. His head shot up to look at her for a few moments. That was the first time she had ever said such things out loud, and frankly, he didn't know how to reply. _Because Uchihas do not talk about their feelings._ Sakura waved her hands at him, almost laughing at the dumb look on his face. "You don't have to say it back. I know this is different and difficult for you. It's harder. But I just wanted to make sure you know."

Itachi nodded his head once before taking another bite of the stir fry. "I know."

Because how could he not know after everything she has done for him? Sure, she was a little cranky sometimes after work, and she was pushy and liked to shove her nose into everybody else's business, but this was a woman who had gone to the ends of the earth for him and his family.

He could talk to his brother. He could concede this one conversation for her.

X

The next day found Itachi sitting in a training field, gritting his teeth as he attempted to convince himself that Uchihas could not be jealous. Although, this twisting in his gut was difficult to explain away if he wasn't jealous, which he wasn't. Really, he should have been happy that Sakura had Sasuke here to train her with her found Sharingan abilities. Since the time that she had left the Akatsuki base, she had clearly improved her skills markedly. The current spar that he was watching, Sakura and Deidara versus Sasuke and Kisame, proved that.

They were in the seclusion of the Uchiha training grounds. Finally having overcome some of his apprehension in visiting his old home, Itachi decided to join Sakura in her daily sparring sessions with Sasuke while he worked to improve her use of the summoning jutsu that no one seemed to understand.

The new grounds were smaller than the old compound because there were significantly less Uchihas. Sakura had designed six houses that sat close enough together to be friendly, but far enough apart for each house to have privacy. The main house, where Sasuke lived, was traditional in build and had its own private training grounds and gardens, along with a few other amenities that Sasuke insisted he didn't need. Sakura had also cultivated the natural hot springs that were on the Uchiha property and created an onsen with two separate baths and a small bath house. There were more training grounds and a small wooded area next to the old lake on the other side of Sasuke's house, and overall, it radiated with the feeling of hominess that Sakura could create wherever she was.

But when he had heard that there was a new compound and Sakura had designed it, he had never really thought about how much time it meant Sakura had been spending with Sasuke.

However, when Sakura had told him that she and Sasuke had gotten closer during their time together on their walk to the compound this morning, he hadn't realized exactly how close. Most men would be happy to have his only living relative get along with the woman who he was courting, but things were different when the relative was his lover's first real love.

Now he could see exactly how much Sakura and Sasuke had learned to depend and rely on each other. Each hit, each stab, each jutsu was well-oiled. The reaction from the other party was like choreography, an intricate dance that only the other knew.

When Itachi and Sakura would spar, Itachi would hold back from Sakura and watch her. It was much more of a teacher-student relationship when they fought. Sasuke was a different story. He put his entire being into his matches with his teammate, and only through months of sparring, training, and fighting, could they have learned each other's movements so well.

Leading to Itachi's not-jealously. It was something else because _Uchihas didn't get jealous_. Sasuke had gotten to spend the past six months with Sakura, and Sakura had grown closer to his only living relative and dear otouto. He knew he sounded like a petulant child, but when he was gazing at the outcome of months spent together, day and night, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of something contemptuous in his gut.

Watching her was mesmerizing, though. Her movements were violent and explosive, just like her, but she fought with such grace that it was contradictory to her chakra-infused punches that could shatter mountains in one blow. He watched her moves methodically, having denied their invitation to join in on the spar because he wanted to observe her progress.

Rearing her fists back, she threw a hard punch at Kisame, who blocked with his Samehada. Sasuke was there to attack but was thwarted by a clay bomb on Sakura's wrists. The bomb spider jumped off of her wrists to attach itself onto Sasuke's shirt in a lightning fast move. Deidara was grinning like a madman from the side of the clearing when he lit the chakra to ignite and explode. Sasuke shook the bomb off just before there was a quiet _poof_ in the clearing that was overshadowed by the sound of a light explosion, ending the fight.

"Ow," the newcomer said, his eyes blinking from the sudden explosion that happened to occur right where he was standing the moment he decided it was time to find Sakura – a whole thirty minutes late.

"Kakashi-sensei! You're back from your mission!" Sakura greeted happily, her red eyes fading into jade once again. Itachi hadn't been informed that their sensei knew about her Sharingan, but he shouldn't be surprise that Sakura's father figure would know.

"Hello Sakura-chan, Sasuke, Deidara-san, Kisame-san, Itachi-san," Kakashi greeted in kind, smiling behind his black mask. "You've been training hard, I see."

Sakura nodded jubilantly, like a proud daughter being praised by her father, bounding over to her sensei, and Itachi saw the slight hero-worship in her eyes that would always be there, had always been there since she was a young child. They were chatting amiably for a few minutes, Sasuke listening on from behind Sakura.

"So," Sakura started, "Any word from Naruto?"

Kakashi grinned, his eye wrinkling as proof of his pleasure, and Sakura's face lit up. "His training on Mount Myouboku is going well, I hear."

Sakura laughed. "Of course it is. It probably is taking more dedication than he's ever experienced to go without ramen for so long."

"Yes," Kakashi agreed with a light chuckle, ruffling Sakura's hair affectionately, but then his face turned somber rather quickly. "I came here to let you know that the Hokage would like to see you, Sakura. They have finalized plans for the invasion if it happens, and she would like to meet with you. Then you'll be going to a meeting with the Nara clan and some other strategists to go over a plan of attack for ourselves, so we aren't just sitting here twiddling our thumbs. She had requested that Itachi-san, Kisame-san, and Deidara-san join in for that meeting as well."

Sakura nodded and glanced longingly back to the spar that had been interrupted. It wasn't often that she got to spend time with the boys like this between ANBU training and the hospital. With a slightly sad sigh, she turned around to her boys who were looking on with various degrees of disappointment on their faces because she had to leave. Kisame and Deidara were the most obvious. Often times the only action they got in a day was their morning spars since they were mostly confined to the Uchiha compound, and that was rather difficult for two men who were used to running around wherever they wanted.

"I'll see you all later!" she chirped happily, eyeing Itachi thoughtfully for a moment. He heard the other three say their gruff goodbyes to the rosette but didn't register what they were saying.

He saw something akin to indecision in Sakura's beryl eyes before she turned around to leave, and he suddenly knew what he was supposed to do. It was instinctual, and although he didn't pretend to understand relationships or emotions at all, he knew that he had not seen her off properly.

Sasuke and the other two were already heading towards his house for lunch, and Kakashi was standing at the front gate of the compound waiting for her. Itachi flash-stepped in front of her, and his sudden movements made her jerk before her eyes sparkled with surprise and confusion just before he leaned down and captured a quick kiss.

"I will see you in a few hours," he promised quietly. His reward was a radiant smile and quick nod that was filled with sunshine and sparkling happiness that only someone with bright pink hair and green eyes could exude. If he had seen himself acting like this, he would have beaten that crap out of himself, but this woman had taken him completely.

"I'll see you later," she responded before twirling around him and breaking out in a run towards Kakashi. Said jounin was eyeing Itachi balefully over Sakura's departing shoulder before he crinkled his eye into a smile at Sakura and rubbed her hair fondly when she reached him.

Sakura trotted along with Kakashi, who seemed to be in a very big hurry for this meeting. They were probably late, she surmised, from the slightly nervous glances he was sending her every now and then. Rolling her eyes, she just allowed herself to enjoy the comfortable silence that was her sensei before reaching the Hokage tower. Jumping onto the roof and into the window of Tsunade's office in one go, they interrupted the meeting in the middle of a report from Shikamaru.

"Hatake," Tsunade bit out threateningly when they entered the room and took their seats as inconspicuously as possible, so, of course, they blatantly drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"You see, Hokage-sama—"

"Shove it, Hatake," Tsunade growled back as her eyebrows twitched in annoyance. Sakura took a moment to note the three large wooden bins in the room filled with scrolls. Shikamaru finished his report quickly and sat back down in his seat. Tsunade stood and clapped her hands a few time, garnering everybody's already fixed attention.

"Alright," Tsunade said forcefully. Eyeing Kakashi with some contempt, she began, "Now that we're all here, we can get down to business. As you can see, there are bins with several scrolls in them on the other end of the room. There are two different scrolls – one for civilians and the other for shinobi. They will be distributed today and will only be opened if Konoha falls to the hands of Madara, Pein, or Danzou and I'm no longer able to lead the village."

The room filled with a palpable tension, and everybody looked around nervously, waiting for her to continue. "These scrolls are to be kept a secret and unsealed unless I fall during an attack. Nobody besides me knows what's on them, and that is for security purposes. The message on the scrolls will only be revealed if I die or become incapacitated, and that way, our enemies will have no way to anticipate our next move. In fact, with what I have left in those scrolls, not even I will know the next move of the Leaf shinobi."

"Is that wise, Hokage-sama?" Morino Ibiki asked from the back of the room. He was standing next to the head of ANBU, Fujioka Takeo. Said captain nodded his head knowingly.

"Is it right to leave our fates up to chance like that?" he voiced.

Tsunade nodded her head once. "If I fall, the shinobi will be in good hands," she promised seriously.

This seemed to be answer enough for the two old-timer shinobi as they nodded their consent. Although they were outwardly cold and stoic, even they were fearful for what would happen to their village. Three of the most powerful shinobi in the world were all out for Konoha, and they knew exactly what that meant. It meant lives lost, people destroyed, and their home's ultimate demise if they weren't properly prepared for it.

"Hokage-sama, if you do become incapacitated, what do we do to protect you?" one ANBU asked; a Hyuuga, if Sakura surmised correctly, but she couldn't tell which one from underneath their mask. Tsunade smiled tersely at the masked man.

"You leave that up to me, my apprentices, and my guard," she replied. Her voice was a little softer, some of the edge removed from the somber nature of the subject. "Everybody's first priority should be protecting the village and the civilians from Danzou, Madara, and the remaining Akatsuki."

There was a quiet murmur that radiated throughout the twenty or so shinobi who were in the room, and Tsunade had to clear her throat loudly in order to garner everyone's attention back to her. The rest of the meeting, two more hours on safety protocols and the distribution of guard duty, was rather tedious and boring. It was also all stuff that Sakura knew prior to attending the meeting. After the last speaker sat down, Tsunade called attention to herself once again.

"I'm expecting you all to distribute the scrolls to the Konoha population today. There isn't much time to waste. Nara, Hatake, Morino, Fujioka, Sakura, and any others who I've previously spoken to, I expect you to stay for the next meeting. Everyone else is dismissed," she bellowed forcefully. Everyone besides the aforementioned shinobi stood and shuffled out of the room, each of them taking a few scrolls with them.

Just as the last ninja left the room, Sasuke entered followed by his brother, Deidara, and Kisame, who were in the middle of a scuffle due to something that Deidara said to his fellow refugee, most likely about his gills. Kisame had Deidara in a headlock, and the blonde was thumping the shark-nin on the back in order to free himself. Itachi was watching them impassively, but the slight contemptuous glances he was sending towards his comrades spoke miles of his irritation. Sakura took a moment to grin at them before standing in her place and twisting around, frowning at them and waiting for them to stop their childish behavior. When it seemed that their brawl wouldn't end promptly, she nodded at Sasuke before snapping at the two men.

"Cut it out, you two," Sakura barked when they finally crossed the threshold. Sasuke took the cue and hit the two troublemakers on the back of their heads like he would Naruto in this situation.

"Hey, yeah!" Deidara cried, rubbing the back of his head and his neck simultaneously from where he was hit and strangled. Kisame just grunted while sending the younger Uchiha a furtive glance of contempt. Sasuke merely glowered at him for a moment before walking over to Sakura and taking his normal place flanking her side.

Sakura could only roll his eyes at his predictable behavior before plopping herself back into her seat. Sasuke looked as if he was going to sit down next to her, but when he saw that Kakashi was taking the other seat next to his teammate, he sent a look towards Itachi and moved a seat over. Itachi glided towards them and sat down next to Sakura.

The other ninja in the room watched them quietly with their guards up. Many of them were still not comfortable with the Hokage's decision to allow two missing-nin from other countries into their village, and others were still unwilling to accept Uchiha Itachi back into their midst even though Sakura seemed more than willing to do so. Nara Shikamaru had no such qualms, and he joined the odd group by sitting on the other side of Kakashi.

"This is such a drag," he muttered under his breath. Kakashi merely chuckled a bit before casting a sidelong glance at his former student.

He could see it – the change that occurred the moment that the elder Uchiha was around her. It was like a switch clicked inside of her that lit her up like a mega-watt bulb. Sakura was glowing when her lover, boyfriend, partner – whatever she wanted to call him – was around. Kakashi had to keep himself from rolling his eyes. His little girl was growing up much too fast, and she had found the most unsightly of partners. In short, he didn't approve. Then again, no matter who Sakura would choose, he wouldn't approve. Nobody was good enough for his Sakura-chan.

Itachi noticed Kakashi's furtive, slightly menacing glances, and he tensed slightly under the watchful gaze of the copy-nin. Their black eyes met briefly before flitting away just as quickly over Sakura's head. Kakashi was hardly a threat to him physically, but his influence of Sakura and her decisions was slightly worrying. He knew that Kakashi's opinion mattered more to Sakura than she let on, especially now that Sasuke was back and Naruto was gone; Kakashi had been the only constant in her life over the past few months or even years.

The Hokage interrupted their small, silent exchange by coughing loudly. It appeared that the Godaime had noticed the entire exchange if the slightly amused lilt to her eyes and mouth was any indication. She glanced over the smaller crowd of shinobi, the men and women who she trusted the most with her village, and could only sigh deeply. The weight of her troubles was starting to take over her and she was getting frustrated with how slowly things were progressing.

"So," she began while clenching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger. "My plan is to send the Akatsuki brats along with both Uchihas to hunt down Madara before he can come for us."

There was a stifling silence for a moment before the complaints began to rile up the four men who had just been addressed.

"What?!" cried Deidara and Kisame simultaneously. "No!"

"No," snapped Sasuke just after. Itachi remained silent and impassive, but his entire demeanor shifted into one of intense annoyance and defiance that Sakura had only felt once or twice before – and it was long before they had ever entered their relationship.

"And why the hell not?" Tsunade retorted hotly.

The answer was simple and synchronized between the four: "I will not leave Sakura."

Which promptly caused Tsunade to bellow in laughter. The genuine mirth leaking from her person was completely shocking to most of the ninja in the room. Even Ibiki's and Takeo's eyebrows rose at the sudden outburst.

"You four act as if she's completely incompetent and incapable of taking care of herself," Tsunade accused. The four ninja in question sent a glance to Sakura, who was flushing with annoyance and rage at the insinuation. Kakashi was stroking her back slightly, trying to keep her from exploding in a fury of rage over them. Tsunade cleared her throat loudly. "Even if you were here, you wouldn't be assigned to protect Sakura. I'm not intending on assigning anyone to protect her because she's a kunoichi _and she can take care of herself._"

"But –"

"No buts, Uchiha…Sasuke," Tsunade replied hastily, realizing there were now two Uchihas to address. "If you really are concerned, I will assign Hyuuga Neji to protect you while you're gone."

"No."

This time, the defiant inflection was coming from Itachi, and Tsunade looked nothing less than amused at the situation. She continued, "Well then there is no reason to worry. Sakura is stronger than you four give her credit for. Additionally, she will be in charge of the hospital and aiding the wounded if something was to happen. I will have Katsuyu there to support her, and she can protect Sakura from any major attacks as well. Is that agreeable?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, huffing dramatically while crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance. Really, these guys thought she was some weak little princess?! Well fine, she would show them how weak she was in training later today.

"Hokage-sama," Itachi interrupted her thoughts suddenly. Sakura glanced over to the man sitting beside her. His eyes were pinned on the Hokage, who tilted her head in the slightest of inclinations to get Itachi to continue. "While it is unlikely that Pein-sama and Madara-sama will be working together, it is more likely that Dazou-sama will team up with Madara-sama…"

He trailed off for a moment and sent a quiet glance towards Sasuke, who was watching him carefully. The smallest of reassuring breaths left Itachi's mouth before he continued, "The Uchiha massacre came to fruition because of the planning of these two men. They knew each other from a long time ago, and they will be a large threat if ANBU Root is also backing their cause. Pein-sama is perhaps going to be their decoy, and he will come in and weaken the village, but if he fails, Madara-sama and Danzou-sama will then strike. If Pein-sama succeeds in taking down the village, it will leave him weakened and open to attack from them as well."

Sakura could see the sudden shift in Sasuke's demeanor, his eyes widening in shock and his posture stiffening completely, telling her that he never knew the extent of his clan's demise. Sakura wanted to roll her eyes and blurt out 'I told you so' to Itachi, but decided it was hardly the time. Maybe later.

"So they are using both of us to weaken the other. If Pein attacks first, then neither one of us will be able to defend ourselves against the combined power of Danzou and Madara when they decide to strike," Shikamaru summarized before adding, "Troublesome."

"Indeed," Itachi agreed.

"That's why I'm sending you four out to take down Madara before he can come in and do that," Tsunade replied almost nonchalantly. "Naruto has completed his training in the senjutsu arts with the toads, and he will be on his way home shortly. I'm confident that he has the power to protect us from an attack by Pein. Word on the street is that I'm no pushover either."

Itachi merely inclined his head and accepted the Hokage's word. It would be much more difficult to destroy Madara then the Hokage was letting on, but she knew that. Her confidence in the four of them was rather astounding, and Itachi couldn't help but allow that once-familiar sensation of pride to come to him once again. It was something he hadn't felt since he was a young ninja being praised by his father, Shisui, or his sensei or the Hokage.

Once again, the rest of the meeting went by rather monotonously. Ibiki and Takeo argued for over an hour on the progress of the ANBU, and then Shikamaru stepped in and began discussing contingency plans if Pein attacked before the group going after Madara was able to leave or take him out. By the time the group of shinobi left, they all had a solid plan as to handle an attack should one occur, but there was that inkling of feeling for all of them – what if it didn't work?

When they exited the Hokage tower together, Sasuke looked at Itachi for a long moment before asking, "Danzou and Madara planned it?"

Kakashi looked as if he was going to say something, but then a strange feeling began to unsettle him. With a small nod of departure and a small _poof,_ he was gone to investigate the strange aura that was surrounding a person he had seen – a person with orange hair that he had never seen in this village before.

The others, seemingly oblivious, watched the exchange between the two brothers with guarded expressions.

Itachi tensed and sent a sidelong glance towards his younger brother before shooting a glimpse towards a very smug looking Sakura. She sent a very pointed look to Sasuke and then looked back at Itachi. Her arms automatically sat on her hips, jutting one out to the side in a very defiant pose – meaning she wouldn't be taking no for an answer this time. If Uchihas rolled their eyes, he would have done so at her childish behavior. The exchange took less than a second and then Itachi was looking back at his younger brother.

"Perhaps it is time that we talked about this." Sasuke nodded his assent and the group headed towards the Uchiha compound together.

X

Sakura barely dodged the kunai that Kisame had sent her way, and it took her more than a moment to realize that Deidara had snuck a clay spider onto her blouse. With a quick jerk, she was able to dislodge the little bomb, but not before it detonated and singed the edge of her shirt. Instead of focusing on this, she glanced secretly towards the dock by the lake of the Uchiha compound where Itachi and Sasuke were sitting, feet in the water.

Neither of them was looking at each other, and their postures were both an odd mix of slumped, dejected shoulder and rigid discomfort that Sakura couldn't quite understand.

"Oi, woman, will you pay attention?" Deidara called from across the training ground.

Sakura smiled sheepishly at her lack of focus and nodded her head towards her two friends. Kisame was rushing her in an instant, Samehada in hand, and she jumped to avoid the blows that he was bringing with surprising speed for such a heavy sword.

But just as she flipped far enough away, her eyes roved back over to the two brothers who were in the exact same position as before and had been for almost two hours. She couldn't help but be curious as to what they were talking about and how they were handling this difficult conversation. Both of them were so conversationally stunted that she wouldn't have been surprised if they actually weren't talking at all.

The way their shoulders would move and their postures would change told her that they were discussing what had happened all those years ago. Somehow, it didn't make her feel better. In fact, she probably wouldn't feel better until she got the full story from either Sasuke or Itachi later.

Deidara was throwing a barrage of explosive kunai, so she jumped out of the way of the maelstrom of vicious weaponry that was heading her way, especially now that Kisame was jumping into the mix and began attacking her with powerful thrusts of the Samehada. Once again, though, their spar was abruptly ending by the sound of a small _poof _into the battlefield. This time, however, it was not Kakashi, but an ANBU with a mask covering his face.

"Haruno-san," he greeted quickly. Sakura jumped out of the way of the Samehada and landed in front of the ANBU gracefully.

"ANBU-san."

"There is a medical emergency at the hospital. Your expertise is needed immediately," the ANBU informed her before bowing and disappearing just as quickly as he came.

"No, don't go," Deidara cried out, clutching onto Sakura's hands like a sulking child, pulling her back towards the training ground. Sakura threw her head back and let out a small laugh before prying her hands away from Deidara.

Grinning, she reminded him, "It's my job, Deidara. Now I have to go. You two make sure that Sasuke-kun and Itachi don't kill each other."

Kisame ruffled her hair affectionately, just like Kakashi, and she smiled up at him. Glancing back towards the lake, where Sasuke's shoulders were suspiciously shaking as if he was crying, Sakura's face instantly melted with concern.

"Don't even think about it kid," Kisame chastised lightly, poking her in the nose to prove his point. "You know that this is something they have to do by themselves, but we'll make sure they don't kill each other."

Sakura nodded and sent Kisame and Deidara a grateful look before forming the hand signs that would take her to the hospital.

There had been a very grievous accident with a genin team when the sensei had gone to get the group lunch. Apparently one of them had decided to show off his brand new fire jutsu, almost obliterating himself and his teammates along with a good portion of the Konoha forests, and earning them all a trip to the hospital's intensive care unit. It took Sakura almost three hours to put back together one genin's hand and muscular tissue before deeming it good enough to heal on its own. Really, if their sensei hadn't been on his way back when he saw the flames, all three of the twelve-year-olds could have died.

But Sakura couldn't help but smile a bit, being reminded of a worried but furious sensei at his group of mischievous students who almost got themselves killed. It was like nostalgia had hit her all at once, and since the genin hadn't died and would all make a full recovery and take a good lesson home with them, she didn't feel too guilty about the small smile that bloomed across her face when the sensei began chastising the barely conscious genin harshly.

It was well past dark when she left the hospital that night. It should have been more of a surprise to see Sasuke standing outside of the tall building, hands shoved in his pockets with a bag of takeout by his feet, but this had been a small ritual that the two had held since he was let out a prison all those months ago.

"You haven't eaten," he acknowledged gruffly when she approached him with a timid, unsure smile on her face.

"I haven't," she conceded.

"Hard day?" he asked quietly while handing her a small box of rice and some chopsticks. He lifted the rest of the bag into his hands and she ate while he walked her back to her apartment.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Sakura shot back between mouthfuls of chicken fried rice. "How was the talk with your brother?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment before stopping in his tracks. They were just a block away from Sakura's apartment when he took the takeout box from her hand and set it down next to the bag on a bench.

"It was necessary," he said facing towards her with an incredibly serious expression on his face. "We spent most of the time talking about you."

"Me?" she sputtered in the most unladylike fashion. Sasuke sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "What about me?"

Instead of answering, Sasuke just gave her one more incomprehensible look before hooking his hand behind her neck and slanting his mouth over hers, kissing her full on the lips.

(AN: I was fully prepared to leave it right there and be evil, but it wouldn't work with what I have written in the next chapter already, so I decided to wrap this up. So continue on.)

Her hands pushed on his chest, ripping the two apart after a mere moment of one of the most passionate kisses she had been subjected to, and she wondered how a kiss that ended so quickly could be so fervent. Both of them were panting from the sudden exertion while Sakura just gaped at him, wide eyed, like a fish trying to find air. Sasuke almost looked smug before shrugging his shoulders and picking up the food and setting out for her apartment.

"Uchiha Sasuke!" Sakura cried, running to catch up with him when sense had smacked her back in the face. "What the hell was that?!"

Sasuke didn't even bother to stop or look at her. "A kiss," he answered evenly, as if she was asking the stupidest of questions. "And he was right. Interesting."

"Who was right? What? Please do explain that to me before I pound your face into the pavement and then castrate you. Your hopes of reviving the Uchiha clan will forever be terminated," Sakura insisted while grabbing onto Sasuke's arms, effectively halting him and forcing him to turn towards her.

"I told Itachi that I thought I was in love with you."

The statement, said so indifferent and apathetic was like a smack in the face, the air and shock whooshing out of her lungs all in one blow. "What?!"

"So he told me what it felt like for him to kiss you," Sasuke iterated with another shrug. "Then he told me I should kiss you to see what it felt like. He said that I wasn't in love with you and I wouldn't feel what he felt. It's really disgusting that you two feel like that if you ask me."

This was a dream. It had to be a dream.

"You thought you were in love with me?" she practically whispered so quietly it was barely audible. Sasuke shrugged again.

"Yeah, but I wasn't. Aniki was right. It was nothing special," he commented gruffly and began walking again, leaving her to sputter over the newest revelation.

"What? How?" she asked quietly.

"Since before I proposed to you," he explained rather easily. The facts were whirring throughout Sakura's head and only a few things came to mind that she voiced before she could even stop the words from filtering through her mouth.

"It was nothing special? How dare you?" she hissed. "AND HE TOLD YOU TO?"

Sasuke nodded again, and by that time, they were standing outside of her apartment complex.

"This should be good news. I'm not in love with you," he reiterated. Really, Sakura should be offended, but it was almost a relief that he hadn't felt anything when they kissed or something very bad could have happened. "Unless you're still in love with me."

"What," Sakura inflected, but it wasn't a question. Her face turned so deadly that Sasuke let out a light chuckle. Prying her clenched fists open, he placed the bag of takeout in her hands and turned to leave.

"Good to hear it. I'll see you tomorrow. I think you and my brother have some things to discuss."

"YOU TOLD HIM TO KISS ME?" she was screaming before she even got the door all the way open. Itachi, who had been sitting on the couch reading, let out a small laugh before setting his book down on the end table.

"Aa."

"Uchiha Itachi, you are an idiot," she accused, throwing the takeout down on the dining room table and stomping over to him. Her cheeks were reddened in fury, and it was most endearing to Itachi that he didn't even feel angry at her for calling him an idiot.

"I wasn't worried," he replied nonchalantly. He stood up then, taking measured strides over to her so that he was just a hairsbreadth away from her. Cheeks puffing out angrily, she gave him a look before continuing her rant.

"And what if it had backfired, hm?" she asked heatedly. "What if Sasuke-kun had kissed me and we both saw fireworks and felt all those wonderful feelings. What if I ran away with him and we eloped and had a few dozen Uchiha babies?"

Itachi arched a brow at her antics. "If you did," he replied with an amused lilt to his deep voice, "then you wouldn't be here, now would you?"

Sakura looked just about ready to hit him over the head at his confidence, so he looped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. "So did you _Sa-ku-ra_?" he practically purred into her ear, instantly sending her insides flipping and warming all at the same time while a palpable shiver ran down her spine. "Did it feel like this when he kissed you?"

Leaning down, Itachi captured her lips in a soft, yet passionate kiss. The air and anger left her all at once and she eagerly responded to his advances, looping her arms around his neck to bring him closer. The guttural growl he let out when she bit his lip sent her heart racing, just like it did every time, and she knew her ruse was up. When she pulled back, his deep black eyes were a shade darker with lust, if it were possible.

"Maybe," she quipped.

"Well then," he replied, hooking his arms behind her legs to wrap around his waist before kissing her again. As he began walking them to the bedroom, he spoke between kisses, "Then I should remind you what kissing me feels like."

The kiss with Sasuke, the anger towards Itachi, and the bag of takeout were quickly forgotten.

* * *

AN: Some people wanted a little more input of Deidara and Kisame because they were so quiet last chapter, so I tried to get them in here a little more.

Others wanted a little more ItachiXSakura fluff, so I tried to give you that as well.

I'm sure the Sasuke thing was a surprise, and I know that I said that Sakura and Sasuke weren't going to enter into a love triangle, and they aren't. This was something I had been planning for a while now because I feel like it's difficult to spend six months with a person constantly, especially two people like Sasuke and Sakura where their feelings have been all muddled for so long, without having some mixed feelings. I hope I was able to do this realistically and in character without blowing it out of proportion.


End file.
